The upcoming edition of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ipl-2026-irfan-pathan-optimistic-about-shreyas-iyer-form-ahead-of-cash-rich-league-23621252" rel="nofollow">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the cash-rich league, the former South African cricketer AB de Villiers sees no role for legendary MS Dhoni batting down the order for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
"It's very tricky and not straightforward. Brands are built over years, and CSK have built this empire over many years with this MS Dhoni figure that's always been there. When you mention <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ipl-2026-sanju-samson-sees-playing-alongside-ms-dhoni-as-an-opportunity-to-learn-from-csk-legend-23621091" rel="nofollow">CSK</a>, you immediately think of Dhoni. I feel that in the last few years, his role has purely been about keeping that brand as strong as possible. That's why I don't see a role for him batting at eight or nine and not really doing enough, like last season," he said.
He then stated that Dhoni should bat at number six and be ready to bat at number four or five, depending on the match situation.
"We know he can be impactful with the bat, but if he's batting that low and not captaining, it feels like he's almost just making up for a spot for the wrong reasons. There's still a place for him, but he needs to bat higher, at least at six, maybe even at five or four at times," said de Villiers.
The former South African cricketer feels <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/india-are-going-to-do-this-more-and-more-often-sanju-samson-optimistic-for-the-future-23620967" rel="nofollow">Sanju Samson</a> is the right person to take over the role of Dhoni in the team. He also wants the Jharkhand-born cricketer to put himself under pressure and handle the situations.
"It's a tricky situation, but Sanju Samson is the right guy to take over, and credit to Dhoni because he's hung around, waiting for the right person to come. If MS plays, I want him to put himself under more pressure and be the guy to handle those big moments," said the 42-year-old former cricketer.
CSK will begin its IPL 2026 campaign against <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ipl-2026-rajasthan-royals-appoint-riyan-parag-as-new-captain-following-sanju-samson-trade-23616495" rel="nofollow">Rajasthan Royals</a> (RR) on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
<h2>IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Full Squads</h2>
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
Rajasthan Royals: Ravindra Jadeja, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Milne, Donovan Ferreira (WK), Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh, Shubham Dubey, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao, Kwena Maphaka, Yash Punja, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Singh (WK), Brijesh Sharma.
(With PTI Inputs)

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Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / No reason for Dhoni to bat in lower order for CSK, says AB de Villiers