CSK Miss Playoffs for Third Year Running: Fans Want Dhoni as Coach, Ashwin Agrees

Chennai Super Kings got eliminated from IPL 2026. Fans are demanding that MS Dhoni join the team as coach in the coming season. According to the CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan, Dhoni is an extremely powerful and vital player in the team, which suggests that the team may soon appoint him as head coach. This year marks the first time when Dhoni did not feature in any match at all throughout the tournament. It seems like the possibility of MS Dhoni playing his last season in IPL is very high as always. Meanwhile, the CSK CEO explained what the franchise expects from Dhoni going forward.

In an interview with RevSports, the CSK CEO clarified, "We haven't spoken to MS yet, because as you know, he makes his own decisions, and we respect that. We always want him to be a permanent fixture at CSK in any capacity, whether as a player, coach, or mentor. Whatever the case, it depends on what he decides. Every decision is his."

Viswanathan's statement comes at a time when the team has missed out on a place in the IPL playoffs for the third consecutive time, and Stephen Fleming's role as head coach is being questioned. Just last week, former CSK star R Ashwin supported the idea of ​​replacing Fleming as head coach, saying that with Dhoni in place, the team doesn't need to look elsewhere.

There are several strong reasons to appoint Dhoni as CSK's next head coach. First, he knows the team better than anyone else and, despite not being a part of IPL 2026, has been actively involved in grooming young players for CSK. Second, Dhoni will be 45 years old by the time IPL 2027 begins. Third, he has been a top captain, leading CSK to five titles. Therefore, it would be better for CSK to hand over the reins to Dhoni instead of Fleming.