Suresh Raina Confirms MS Dhoni's IPL 2026 Plans After CSK's 2025 Debacle

Chennai Super Kings are in the middle of a torrid Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season that sees them placed at the bottom of the points table, with just two wins in nine games so far. While the hopes of a playoff qualification only remain mathematically possible, the results have triggered a debate around the franchise undergoing a possible major reshuffle ahead of the next campaign. There are also questions on the future of MS Dhoni, but if CSK's 'Chinna Thala' Suresh Raina is to be believed, Dhoni is set to stay for at least one more season.

Analysing CSK's campaign, Raina highlighted how poor the team has been in almost all departments, be it fielding, batting, or bowling. For Raina, the foundation for the next season would be laid on the auction table for the franchise.

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

Assessing CSK's mega auction, Raina said that Dhoni doesn't seem to have had a hand in the buys the management picked ahead of the 18th edition.

"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," he said.

"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