Chennai Super Kings have been proud of MS Dhoni as the iconic face of their franchise for years now; However, considering his age, Dhoni himself would now be keen to put an end to his illustrious career. According to the latest reports, CSK are back in the hunt for a wicket-keeper batsman ahead of the upcoming mini-auction.
5-time Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings are still unsure about MS Dhoni’s future.
Dhoni must have made up his mind on a firm retirement call, and the management needs to finalize the next wicket-keeper before the maestro plays his final match in the Indian Premier League..
CSK have slowly transferred the captaincy of the team from the hands of MS Dhoni to their new skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad..
Ruturaj missed half of the previous season, prompting MS Dhoni to step in as stand-in captain. However, it is still certain that CSK has long-term plans to retain Gaikwad as captain of the Men in Yellow.
CSK’s search for a wicket-keeper batsman continues ahead of IPL 2026
Chennai Super Kings have not only been the most successful franchise over the years but have also been a strong source of young talent.
Even in the previous season, which ended as their worst season in the history of the competition, the Super Kings led the way in bringing in many young and sporadic cricketers.
They have found the new face of CSK’s inaugural club in 17-year-old Aayush Mhatre from Mumbai, who currently captains the India U-19 side.
They also brought in the likes of Dewald Brevis, who, after having a brilliant season with CSK, went on to dominate world cricket with his batting antics.. Noor Ahmed and Orville Patel were among the other important mentions.
However, despite having everything they have, they were desperately searching for a new wicket-keeper batsman who could replace MS Dhoni in the side, as suggested by Rohit Goglan via his YouTube channel.
MS Dhoni has such unique finishing skills that it seems like a difficult task. “CSK is looking for a wicket-keeper batsman. They have been looking for such a player for the last four seasons,” Goglan said in his report.
The search continues as the IPL auction is scheduled for December 15, which means CSK will have to speed up the search process if they want to acquire a player through the pre-season trade window.
Are CSK sidelining Sanju Samson talks despite the Royals keen to let their former skipper go?
According to reports, CSK has been the first and most desperate team in the hunt for Sanju Samson ever since rumors of his release from the Rajasthan Royals camp spread on the internet.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson was seen sitting out most of the season in IPL 2025 and was also demoted to the new batting position at no. 3 due to the arrival of left-handed batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
After losing his position to the 14-year-old and also part of the team captaincy to Ryan Barrage, Samson asked the franchise to release him, as he wished to explore his opportunities with other franchises in the competition.
Initially, CSK was the team most keen to sign Samson. However, perhaps due to his dip in form in the Asian Cup, they are starting to consider exploring more options before closing.
However, it remains to be mentioned that teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians would also be keen on getting a player of Samson’s caliber since they are looking for a glovesman as well.
Urvil Patel and Devon Conway are the backup wicket-keepers to MS Dhoni for CSK
Other than MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings currently have two other players who featured in the playing XI last season, who are wicket-keepers by role.
The likes of New Zealand batsman Devon Conway and Indian youngster Orvil Patel are both substitute wicket-keepers.
Conway initially played the season with very limited success, being dropped, while Urvil featured in a handful of matches during the latter part of the IPL and gave CSK some quick starts at the top of the order.
Patel is a clean striker of the ball and holds the record for the fastest T20 hundred in the Indian domestic circuit.
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