Reports say MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings at odds over franchise stake as Dhoni misses IPL 2026

MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings reportedly reached a deadlock over a proposed equity deal that has been linked in media reports to Dhoni not featuring in the Indian Premier League 2026, according to coverage published on August 25, 2026.

Dhoni has a long association with CSK, having captained the franchise to five Indian Premier League titles and two Champions League T20 trophies and then passing the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the 2024 IPL. He remained part of the playing squad in 2024 and 2025, stepping back into captaincy duties in the later stages of 2025 when Gaikwad was injured. Dhoni did not play any matches in the IPL 2026 season; the article notes he was ruled out for two weeks during recovery from a knee injury, a period that ultimately stretched across the entire tournament.

CricBlogger reporter Indranil Basu is cited as reporting that Dhoni was unhappy with how some players were handled by the CSK management and that the relationship had become strained. The same reporting says Dhoni sought to acquire an ownership stake in the franchise and that the discussions over that transaction have not been resolved.

The coverage sets out the sequence of offers and counter-offers described during the negotiations: Dhoni initially expressed interest in purchasing 25% of the franchise; the owners offered 3%. When Dhoni lowered his request to 20%, the management’s offer reportedly rose to 4%. Dhoni then proposed 18%, while CSK’s final offer was said to be 5.5%, leaving the parties at an impasse.

The report states that most of the negotiation dialogue occurred verbally and that there was no written or formal agreement between Dhoni and the franchise. The article includes the line: “Dhoni wanted to buy a stake. He wasn’t asking for it for free, but the CSK management thought otherwise,” attributed to CricBlogger.

The piece notes this was the first IPL season in which Dhoni did not play. It also records that CSK is currently owned by N. Srinivasan and his family members and that MS Dhoni does not hold a stake in the franchise.

According to the report, the matter remains unresolved and there is no clarity on whether Dhoni will return to play for CSK in future editions; the negotiations over ownership are currently at a deadlock and no written agreement has been announced.