'End Of An Era': Chennai Super Kings To Play Without MS Dhoni Or Suresh Raina For The 1st Time In History

Chennai Super Kings are entering a new era. In the 17 years of their existence, the franchise for the first time will play an IPL game without the presence of two of their greatest players - MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. Dhoni has maintained the streak after Raina's retirement in 2022, but an injury is keeping him out of the RR vs CSK clash in IPL 2026.

MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina are the two most capped players in CSK history. Raina retired as the franchise's leading run-getter in 2022, while Dhoni has led the team to five IPL titles. The Thala and Chinna Thala duo are amongst the most iconic partnerships in IPL history and is synonymous with CSK.

Dhoni and Raina were part of CSK since the 2008 edition. In the initial seasons when Dhoni missed a few games due to injury, it was Suresh Raina who took the armband. Raina played his last season in 2021, with Dhoni handing over captaincy in 2022. Dhoni has played every game since Raina's retirement.

However, Dhoni is ruled out of action for the RR vs CSK game in Guwahati. The five-time champions confirmed that their talisman was suffering a calf strain and was expected to miss at least two weeks of action.

Chennai Super Kings however will dawn into a new era as well, with the arrival of Sanju Samson. On his debut, the T20 World Cup player of the tournament will feature against his former side Rajasthan Royals in what proves to be a blockbuster clash.

Ravindra Jadeja, a long time teammate of Dhoni and Raina, spent 11 years with the franchise before moving to RR in the trade for Samson.