Irfan Pathan statement on MS Dhoni: Former cricketer Irfan Pathan said about Mahendra Singh Dhoni that this time could be his last IPL.

New Delhi: Former legendary captain of Team India, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has started preparing for the Indian Premier League 2026. Dhoni plays for five-time champion Chennai Super Kings. CSK has won these five titles under the captaincy of Dhoni. However, it is being said about Dhoni, who has turned 44, that this could be his last IPL season. On Dhoni’s IPL career, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that perhaps this could be his last season as a player.

As the 2026 IPL is approaching, discussions regarding Dhoni’s retirement have intensified again. CSK has added Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals to its team, after which there is speculation that Dhoni will be seen less on the field of play this time and he can play the role of a mentor. Irfan told Jio Hotstar, “CSK cannot be imagined without Dhoni. Maybe this season we will see him in the yellow jersey for the last time. But it is difficult to imagine CSK and IPL without him.

Dhoni is in CSK training camp

He said, “With the start of IPL, we start seeing Dhoni playing again. This means he is fully prepared for it and he looks very fit too.” The 44-year-old player joined the CSK camp in Chennai earlier this month and is practicing with the team led by captain Rituraj Gaikwad.

Pathan said that Dhoni’s role could be to guide the team and prepare the next generation of leaders. He said, “Dhoni will play an important role in uniting everyone in this season. I don’t know how many matches he will play. But his presence in the dressing room will help a lot.” Pathan said, “Sanju will benefit from this as he will also be a part of the leadership group. Rituraj Gaikwad is the captain. But for this, two or three players are being prepared for the future. This is where Dhoni’s role becomes important. I hope he will make some difference.

Fitness is becoming a challenge for Dhoni

He said, “Questions like his fitness, batting order and whether he will play all the matches will still be raised.” Team management of CSK will proceed in a phased manner. They will definitely try to give him a grand farewell by winning the sixth IPL trophy. Dhoni has played 278 matches in the IPL so far and has scored 5,439 runs. In the last season, he was seen batting only in the death overs. He then scored 196 runs in 13 innings. CSK gave Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals and added Sanju Samson to its team in his place. Jos Buttler is also not in the Rajasthan Royals team.

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar believes that after the departure of two established batsmen, the young players of Rajasthan will now have to take the responsibility. Bangar said, “First they let Jos Buttler go and now Sanju Samson is also not in the team. The young batsmen of the team will now have to step forward and take up the responsibility. Former India opener Abhinav Mukund said that it will be a challenge for Sunrisers Hyderabad to perform well in the initial matches and apart from this, there is doubt about the availability of its captain Pat Cummins.