‘For sure’: Suresh Raina drops big hint on MS Dhoni’s IPL 2026 future

Soon to turn 44, MS Dhoni continues to hog the limelight as the fans look forward to a trip down memory lane every time CSK play. However, Thala - as his fans call him - hasn't given the CSK faithful much to cheer about this season, either with the bat or as captain. There has been much speculation as to whether Dhoni is playing his last season, but former CSK player Suresh Raina says the batsman will definitely play another season.

In a conversation with Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Raina said, "I hope that next season, they (CSK) come with better planning. And Dhoni is going to play for one more season, for sure,"

Notably, CSK coach Stephen Fleming had earlier refused to comment on Dhoni's retirment while speaking to the press earlier this month. 

“That’s not my role to put an end to it. I have no idea. I’m just enjoying working with him. He’s still going strong…I don’t even ask these days. You guys are the ones that ask.” Fleming said on Dhoni's retirement.

Raina defends Dhoni's role in Chennai Auction strategy:

Raina also stated that Dhoni didn't take the final call on CSK's auction strategy and the 'core group' took the decision on who to pick at this year's auction in Jeddah.

In this year's mega auction, there were a number of key players such as Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Jos Buttler, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul, but CSK didn't go after any of them, leading to what experts call a lack of young energy in the group.

Talking about Dhoni's role in the IPL auction strategy, Raina said, “They always say MS Dhoni makes the final call. But to be very honest, I never attended any of the auctions. I was never a part of those discussions. I always talked about the players who were retained. MS might get a call about whether to go ahead with a player or not - but he's not that involved,”

"The core group handles the auction - you can imagine, Dhoni can't have this type of auction. He would maybe name four or five players he wants, and out of them, a few would be retained. Even if an uncapped player is working hard, look at MS Dhoni--being a 43-year-old captain, still giving everything." the former cricketer added.