Not Sanju Samson or Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni to ‘bat at No. 3’ for CSK, says Ashwin

MS Dhoni’s training has left Ravichandran Ashwin mighty impressed. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player was positively surprised by Dhoni’s fitness level. The former Indian wicketkeeper has been struggling with knee problems for the last couple of years, but at the moment, he looks sharp as a tack.

MS Dhoni getting ready for IPL 2026

Dhoni’s hardcore training for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, which could be his swansong, has made Ashwin ponder whether he’s preparing to bat at number eight or nine, or come one down.

“Dhoni looks set to play, as he has already started practising. He’s looking fit. Some said he may not play in the 11, or this might be his last season. But it looks like he got motivated seeing Imran Tahir. Looking at him, it doesn’t look like he’ll bat at No. 9. He looks like he’ll come out to bat at No. 3 in the powerplay and be the enforcer, the way he has begun practice,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

CSK’s destructive batting line-up

After the IPL 2026 auction, the off-spinner had claimed CSK had built a championship-winning team. Their batting in particular looks formidable. Getting Dewald Brevis as an injury replacement and trading Sanju Samson for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran could see out the bat oppositions.

“They’ve scouted very well and boast a powerhouse of a batting lineup. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Karthik Sharma, and Prashant Veer is a batting lineup. Barring the inexperience in the last two, you ask, ‘How are teams going to stop this batting lineup?’ Even a score of 200 to 220 becomes really difficult for teams to stop CSK.”

“Even Jamie Overton is going great guns. Only the combination CSK decides to go with is to be seen. Ayush Mhatre, irrespective of what happens in the U-19 World Cup, will deliver in the IPL. CSK’s batting is a tough one to stop. If they get the combination and momentum right, that is a batting lineup that’s really going to make work very difficult for bowlers around the tournament,” he added.

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