IPL 2026: ipl 2026 Even before the start of the season, Chennai Super Kings had suffered a big blow in the form of MS Dhoni. Dhoni was out of some matches due to injury and there is still no update regarding his return. Apart from this, season-19 has been very bad for Chennai so far. The team has got only 2 wins. The form of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has become the biggest matter of concern for CSK.

Now, regarding all these things, former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, while talking to Sportstar, has slammed the management of CSK. Apart from this, Manjrekar also openly criticized the environment created around Dhoni and his role.

Why angry at CSK management?

Sanjay Manjrekar held the owners and the officials taking major decisions directly responsible for the current condition of the team. He also attributed the decline in captain Gaikwad’s performance to the management’s strategy. He said, “I will put the entire blame on the owners and the people who take big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before becoming the captain, was performing brilliantly at the top of the order.”

What did you say about Dhoni?

Manjrekar also raised questions on the decisions to Dhoni and said that the franchise did not handle this entire matter properly. He said, “And then the issue of MS Dhoni, whether he will play or become the captain, he handled it very wrongly and this is where the sycophancy of Indian culture is reflected in cricket as well. I mean, Dhoni not only has fans, but there is an atmosphere of sycophancy around him.”

Why questions were raised on Dhoni’s return?

Manjrekar also raised questions on Dhoni’s possible comeback after his injury and said that in his current form, it will not be easy to fit him in the playing eleven. He said, “Maybe, but then you have to face Dhoni on the field and how do you do that? I mean, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to perform. So when he would come down the order and play only three-four balls, it became kind of a joke. Even the TV coverage would blow it up ‘What a brilliant innings’ and that innings lasted only four balls.”

What did you say about captaincy?

He said on the issue of captaincy, “So it is not possible now, and it was never going to be a long-term plan. So I cannot pretend to know how Ruturaj would have felt if MS was on the field but not captaining and how Ruturaj would have felt if MS was not there and he took over the captaincy alone.”