Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) strategy during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi threw light on what could be a possible last season for MS Dhoni as a player for the franchise. Once dubbed Dad’s Army for their approach to player recruitment, CSK’s auction strategy for the 2026 season focused more on youth.

After getting the services of Sanju Samson for ₹18 crore via a trade deal with Rajasthan Royals, the five-time champions spent a whopping ₹14.20 crore on 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma – the joint-most expensive uncapped player in the history of IPL.

An astounding ₹32.20 crore for two wicketkeeper-batters in the squad does give a hint that the franchise is preparing for life after Dhoni. Interestingly, CSK now have four wicketkeeper-batters in the squad — Dhoni, Samson, Kartik and Urvil Patel (retained from last season).

CSK admit to change in approach

For a franchise that solely relied on Dhoni behind the wickets since 2008, CSK’s shopping for wicketkeepers represents a calculated succession planning. Speculations about Dhoni playing his last IPL gained momentum when head coach Stephen Fleming admitted to a change in team-building approach during the auction on Tuesday.

“We were looking at the fact that at some point, MS will move on. Sanju is an international quality player, and he fills that role very well,” Fleming told the media after the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi. “Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success, but we identified that we need to shift,” added the New Zealander.

In fact, CSK spent 60% of their purse during the IPL 2026 auction on just two uncapped players, which clearly showed their change in approach. Besides Kartik, CSK spent another ₹14.20 crore on Prashant Veer, a 20-year-old hard-hitting all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh.

Former CSK cricketer Robin Uthappa also stated that the succession blueprint is a clear indicator that Dhoni’s days as a player at the franchise are limited. “The writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni’s last season,” Uthappa said on air during a Star Sports show.

CSK’s IPL 2026 final squad

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