CSK veteran MS Dhoni, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad hits net side by side ahead of IPL 2026

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 1 (ANI): As the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) gear up for the upcoming IPL season, legendary Indian wicketkeeper/batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni and CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad batted in the nets side by side and smashed the deliveries in equal measure on Sunday.
Chennai Super Kings posted a video on X, wherein Dhoni could be seen batting in the nets alongside skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni played a few neat drives through the off-side, a few pull shots using his backfoot and a few cut shots.
While skipper Gaikwad, who missed almost half of the previous IPL season due to injury, was seen hitting lofted shots towards mid-wicket.

🦁🔥 miROARing! 🔥🦁 #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/jM0X9rmMci

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 1, 2026

Dhoni was retained by the Super Kings as an "uncapped player" for Rs 4 crore ahead of IPL 2025, and this retention was extended for IPL 2026, keeping his salary unchanged at Rs 4 crore.
Dhoni had a decent IPL 2025 season with the bat, making 196 runs from 14 matches at an average of 24.50 and a strike-rate of 135.17.
Earlier in the day, CSK unveiled their team jersey for the upcoming IPL season. CSK endured an abysmal run in the 2025 edition. In the 14 matches that they played, CSK faced defeat in 10 matches and finished last in the IPL 2025 points table.
Ahead of the 2026 season, CSK made some big changes in their squad for the upcoming season, with the most notable one being the trade of all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for the wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson.
Chennai Super Kings full squad for IPL 2026: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, 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, Sarfaraz Khan (Rs 75 lakh), Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.20 Cr), Prashant Veer (Rs 14.20 Cr), Matthew Short (Rs 1.50 Cr), Aman Khan (Rs 40 lakh), Zak Foulkes (Rs 75 lakh), Akeal Hosein (Rs 2 Cr), Rahul Chahar (Rs 5.2 Cr), Matt Henry (Rs 2 Cr). (ANI)