‘My body is a little weak’: Suresh Raina reveals if MS Dhoni will play in IPL 2027 after missing the entire 2026 season originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Suresh Raina met MS Dhoni during CSK‘s last home game of IPL 2026 at Chepauk.
- CSK complicated their path to IPL 2026 playoffs after loss against SRH.
- Raina wants Dhoni to continue playing IPL beyond this season.
Suresh Raina reveals if MS Dhoni will play in IPL 2027 after missing the entire 2026 season
MS Dhoni reunited with former team-mate Suresh Raina in CSK’s final home game of the IPL 2026 season at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 18.
Like the rest of the season, Dhoni was once again out of the CSK lineup as they featured in their penultimate game of the campaign and final home match.
After CSK’s five-wicket loss to SRH on Monday, Dhoni was seen waving at the Chepauk crowd, as if it was the last time they were seeing their greatest captain in a CSK shirt at the iconic stadium. Raina, being a franchise legend, accompanied Dhoni at the ground.
After the brief reunion, Raina was asked about his conversation with the former India captain, to which the southpaw said: “I told him ‘you have given IPL 2026 a missed call. It won’t count. You have to come back next year’. He said ‘my body is a little weak’ – I said ‘we are not believing anything. You have to play next year’. It’s his personal call. I think he is positive. The team is also gelling well again.”
MORE: Ishan Kishan taunts Chepauk crowd with ‘whistle podu’ gesture
MS Dhoni unlikely to feature in IPL 2026
MS Dhoni suffered a calf strain right before the start of the IPL 2026 season. It took Dhoni till the middle of April to complete the basic recovery from the injury and return to the CSK nets for training.
Time and again, CSK social media shared videos of the veteran star sweating it out in the nets, however, he never featured in any of the 13 matches CSK has played thus far in the IPL 2026 season.
In the CSK’s penultimate game of the season against SRH on May 18 at Chepauk, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad could not give a concrete response when asked about MS Dhoni’s appearance for CSK.
Gaikwad had said, “He is not fit enough to play, but you never know if we win this and he comes for the last one.”
MORE: CSK’s IPL 2026 playoff chances: Qualification scenarios, wins and points required
The Cricket News Opinion: MS Dhoni should quit after IPL 2026 season
It might sound harsh and unpopular to a section of Indian cricket fans, but MS Dhoni can no longer compete at the highest level of cricket, and it’s time he accepts the reality and ends his journey after the ongoing IPL season.
The 19th season was a clear indicator that the sun had set on Dhoni’s cricket journey as he could never recover from the calf injury that he suffered ahead of the season.
Dhoni, who will turn 44 in July, is no longer physically capable of playing professional cricket matches, especially in high-stakes competitions like the IPL.
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