"He may leave midway after playing 7-8 matches" - Former RCB batter's huge statement on MS Dhoni's retirement in IPL 2026

Mohammad Kaif believes the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 would be Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni's final season. He said that the veteran wicketkeeper-batter might even retire midway through the season.

The former cricketer noted that Dhoni doesn't play any other cricket apart from the IPL. He suggested that playing such a high-profile tournament without much match practice can be tough for any player.

Kaif remarked that Dhoni could hang up his boots soon if CSK succeeded in trading wicketkeeper Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The cricketer-turned-commentator said in his YouTube video:

"This will be his last season. I think if the Sanju Samson deal gets completed, he may leave midway after playing seven-eight matches. But this will be his last, for sure. It is 2026, and he doesn't play any other cricket. It's not easy to just play IPL to IPL."

Notably, the new retention rules allowed CSK to retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore ahead of IPL 2025. He returned as the team's captain in the season, with regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad getting ruled out due to an elbow injury after five games.

However, the Chennai-based side had a dismal season as they finished at the bottom of the points table for the first time. Their campaign ended with just four victories from 14 fixtures.

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"A finisher has to hit a six on his first ball" - Mohammad Kaif highlights the challenges of MS Dhoni playing limited matches in a year

Mohammad Kaif pointed out that MS Dhoni plays as a finisher for CSK. He explained that batters playing in those positions have to play attacking shots right from the word go.

The 44-year-old reckoned performing such a role was more difficult for Dhoni as he plays a limited number of matches in a year. Kaif added in the same video:

"You need to work four times harder for this role, where you get to face very few balls. A finisher has to hit a six on his first ball, so he has to keep his eyes open all the time.

"An opener, on the other hand, can still adjust. Nobody would say anything even if he leaves one ball, but if you play a dot at No. 6 when you need 25 off 10, everyone will say, 'Dhoni is playing dots at this stage.' The finisher's role in the IPL requires a lot of hard work. That is why I feel he is not in touch."

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni scored 196 runs across 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17 in IPL 2025.