This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni's last season: Robin Uthappa

Former Indian keeper-batter Robin Uthappa is confident that the forthcoming IPL 2026 season will be the CSK star MS Dhoni’s last edition. Notably, Uthappa’s comments came right after CSK’s picks in the mini-auction on Tuesday, December 16.

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, the former keeper has asserted that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise invested most of their purse in young players, which indicates that they are mostly focused on uncovering and developing the talent.

"I think the writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni's last season. No more conjecture, no more speculation about whether he is going to play another year or not. This year, he will be well and truly done," Uthappa told JioHotstar.

"I think all the signs point towards that when you look at the investment in youth and the kind of players they have picked since last year. They are focused on developing talent, uncovering talent and keeping that talent within the franchise," he added.

For the unversed, Chennai Super Kings made an interesting change to their auction approach, backing youngsters instead of relying on experienced players. They went on to acquire the services of 19-year-old Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner and explosive hitter Prashant Veer for INR 14.2 crore. 

Meanwhile, the franchise also signed the 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma for INR 14.2 crore. On the other hand, Sanju Samson is already part of the squad. Also, the franchise tasted success from Dewald Brevis (22), Ayush Mhatre (18) and Urvil Patel (27) in the IPL 2025 season.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

MS Dhoni, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton*, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis*, Noor Ahmad*, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis*, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry*, Akeal Hosein*, Matthew Short*, Zak Foulkes*, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan.

*indicate overseas players.

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