MS Dhoni during ROAR 2026 fan event.© X (formerly Twitter)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted their first-ever ROAR 2026 fan event at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai. It was an evening to remember for CSK fans as they reached the venue in huge numbers to witness the special ROAR event. As expected, the crowd went berserk as soon as it saw legendary captain MS Dhoni step onto the ground. A massive reception from the crowd followed as Dhoni calmly made his way. A female fan could not control her emotions and started crying on spotting the player live.
Watch it here:
Thala Dharisanam #Roar26 #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/RST5EpXKct
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 22, 2026
Having already retired from international cricket in 2020, Dhoni is at the fag end of his career. Former India batter Robin Uthappa is expecting IPL 2026 to be Dhoni’s final year of playing for CSK. He added that CSK should persist with Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, even though they now have Sanju Samson in the squad.
Notably, CSK traded Samson from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
“I don’t think CSK should hand over the leadership duties to Sanju Samson. You have to give Ruturaj Gaikwad time to settle as captain. He has been leading the team since 2024. No matter what people say, he is coming out of the shadow of MS Dhoni.
“You want him to come out completely and stand in his own light. You want to see what he can produce. You want him to lead the team when MS is not playing and stand on his own, without that overwhelming feeling of always being under that energy. So I think you can see Dhoni being a little more hands-off.
“IPL 2026 is likely to be his last year in the yellow jersey. I see him playing more of a mentor-cum-player role this year. I don’t see him batting at number seven. I see him batting at number eight. Knowing that he is on his way out, he wants to wean himself out.
“I think he will do that. Only then will we see the true potential of Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. Give him a few years. If it doesn’t work, you always have Sanju Samson in the team to handle the captaincy duties,” said Uthappa on JioStar.