Uthappa believes that the upcoming IPL 2026 season will most likely be Dhoni’s last year as a player. He thought Dhoni was slowly preparing to take on a full-time mentor role within the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp.
Is IPL 2026 MS Dhoni’s last dance?
The 44-year-old legend is still a huge presence for the five-time champions. The legendary wicketkeeper-batsman continues to keep wickets, steps in as a finisher when required, and remains the calm leader that everyone looks up to in the CSK camp.
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Robin Uthappa was quoted by JioHotstar as saying, “I think the writing is on the wall. This will clearly be MS Dhoni’s last season. No more conjecture, no more speculation on whether he will play another year or not. This year he will be well and truly ready.”
Uthappa believes that the franchise is preparing for the future without Dhoni on the field as they have built their squad over the past few seasons. Chennai Super Kings’ focus on young players has become very evident. Last season, CSK trusted youngsters like Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel and the move paid off.
Robin Uthappa says CSK is preparing for the future without MS Dhoni
And then at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, the franchise showed complete faith in young and uncapped Indian players. CSK shocked everyone by spending a whopping ₹28.4 crore on just two youngsters. 19-year-old all-rounder Prashant Veer and 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Kartik Sharma became the most expensive uncapped Indian players ever at an IPL auction.
In total, Chennai spent ₹41 crore to sign nine players, which clearly shows that they are building a team for the long term. Major changes also took place within the core group. Ravindra Jadeja was traded to the Rajasthan Royals, while Sarfaraz Khan and Rahul Chahar were brought in.
These movements suggest a new start and a new direction. Uthappa believes this is a perfect fit for Dhoni’s evolving role, where his experience and guidance can help shape the next generation of CSK players.
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MS Dhoni will act as mentor-cum-player in IPL 2026: Robin Uthappa
He further explained, “I think all signs point to that when you look at the investment in youth and the kind of teams they have picked since last year. They are focused on developing talent, discovering talent and keeping that talent within the franchise. It is a fair choice. If you can develop another Jadeja with the kind of mentorship that MS Dhoni provides, along with the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad, why not? That is the direction you want to go.”
The former Indian batsman felt that Dhoni already sees himself as a mentor who also plays when required. Uthappa concluded by saying, “We all know that if he doesn’t play, he will guide the team. I think he will act as a mentor-cum-player this year. He is already looking at things from that perspective, which is why they are bringing in players like these.”
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