MS Dhoni will never retire from Chennai Super Kings; CSK chief executive Kasi Vishwanathan confirmed ahead of IPL 2026 that he will always be associated with the franchise.
Kasi Vishwanathan made it clear that he will not let MS Dhoni go, as he has a long-term vision with him, which goes beyond the cricket field. His comments on the former India captain are understandable, as MS Dhoni is not only a former cricketer; He is a brand name and the CSK management knows how to build a business.
MS Dhoni will remain with CSK
Vishwanathan claimed that when he invested in young Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2008, he invested in him with a clear vision. The management was then looking for someone who could completely take over the field charge and free up the management to run the business from the grassroots level.
While some other franchises were chasing coveted cricketers, CSK were on their way to a permanent deal, one that could last for a long time. And they got their man in MS Dhoni, who won 5 IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings.
She also confirmed that Chennai Super Kings’ next big step is to invest in women’s cricket, hinting towards a possible entry into the Women’s Premier League.
“MSD will definitely play this season and will always be with CSK. And the next step for us will be to invest in women’s cricket. You can rest assured of that,” she said as quoted by RevSportz.
Why did CSK choose MS Dhoni?
“We picked MSD in the auction in 2008 and must say he will always be our best investment. Most other teams had an icon player. Mumbai had Sachin, Kolkata’s Sourav, Bengaluru’s Rahul etc. We didn’t and we picked Dhoni because VB Chandrasekhar had mentioned him to N. Srinivasan that he would make a great leader. How right he was!” Kasi Viswanathan said as quoted by RevSportz.
The franchise knew that the thinking process of a cricketer and an administrator can work differently. Therefore, they did not want to interfere in field activities. With this mindset, the management supported Dhoni from the beginning to shape the team.
He said, “At CSK we have known from the beginning that cricketers and administrators think differently. It is better that cricketers are allowed to take decisions on the field, while administrators focus on things off the field. MSD had our full support in shaping the team and the way we played. The bond was organic, and you can see the results.”
Kasi Vishwanathan reveals future plans
The CSK chief executive revealed his plans keeping Dhoni at the center of his future endeavours. The Yellow Brigade is slowly but surely spreading its wings across various sporting fields as well, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni acting as the face of the franchise. For example, Kasi shared the incident when Indian chess prodigy and current world chess champion Dommaraju Gukesh met Dhoni during the IPL.
“We have started from the grassroots level and will expand with time. Last year during the IPL we had a very special moment when Gukesh met MSD. The meshing of cricket and other sports is essential. This year we would love to have Tania Sachdev come and invite Ashwin to play a game of chess with her!” Cassie revealed.
Read more: Ishan Kishan targets Rohit Sharma for throwing him out of the team
