The CSK plans for IPL 2026 began while Ms Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad meet in Chennai

While this may be an off-season as far as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned, the rumour mill is not stopping anytime soon. With the month of auction coming closer with time, reports are swirling, and apparently, teams are organising meetings to plan what’s ahead. Similarly, the two biggest faces of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad – are currently together in Chennai, planning for the IPL 2026.

Dhoni, Gaikwad together in Chennai

According to an explosive report by Cricbuzz, that has stated the displeasure of Sanju Samson at the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Dhoni and Gaikwad are in the South Indian city. While Gaikwad has been practising at the high-performance centre of CSK, Dhoni is also there.

“MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad (he has been practising at the franchise’s high-performance centre for the last one week) are currently in Chennai, and meetings are believed to have taken place among top players and management officials,” the report stated.

While it remains unclear if the talks focused on a possible Sanju Samson swoop, Dhoni and Gaikwad planned out the strategies going into the next season of the IPL. CSK had a tournament to forget this year, with Gaikwad also missing the majority of the league after his hand injury. MS Dhoni, the leader, was seen again but his magic failed to lift the franchise, who lost 10 of their 14 league games.

Thankfully for CSK, they got some match-winning replacements in the later part of the season. Dewald Brevis and Ayush Mhatre, in particular, gave the five-time champions something to smile about. The two replacement players will definitely be retained. But the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Devon Conway and Vijay Shankar may be released. As of now, we’ll just wait and watch.

CSK squad (IPL 2025)

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
2. Andre Siddarth C
3. Shaik Rasheed
4. Rahul Tripathi
5. Ayush Mhatre
6. Dewald Brevis
7. Shivam Dube
8. Rachin Ravindra
9. Deepak Hooda
10. Vijay Shankar
11. Ramakrishna Ghosh
12. Ravindra Jadeja
13. Anshul Kamboj
14. Jamie Overton
15. Sam Curran
16. Ravichandran Ashwin
17. Devon Conway
18. MS Dhoni
19. Vansh Bedi
20. Urvil Patel
21. Kamlesh Nagarkoti
22. Shreyas Gopal
23. Matheesha Pathirana
24. Mukesh Choudhary
25. Nathan Ellis
26. Noor Ahmad
27. Khaleel Ahmed