Bengaluru: Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni spoke on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s rise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with back-to-back wins in the past two years and the downfall of his franchise, saying that there is no hiding that the Red and Gold franchise is performing better. He also expressed hope that the franchise will have a better season next year.
Dhoni, who did not feature in any IPL 2026 matches due to fitness issues, was speaking in Bengaluru at a healthcare event.
CSK, the five-time champions, have had things rough in the past few years. While they have won IPL in 2021 and 2023 this decade, they have also faced some bottom-of-the-table finishes in the 2020s, including the last-place finish in 2025. On the other hand, RCB have picked up in the 2020s, reaching playoffs every year except the 2023 edition and winning the title back-to-back in 2025 and 2026 on the back of dominant all-round performances under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. This year, CSK finished at eighth place, looking good in patches.
The Red and Gold franchise has also dominated CSK head-to-head in the past three seasons, with four wins in the past five encounters.
Speaking about the contrast in performance of both teams and which team is better, Dhoni said, "I always felt you know, how good you are on paper hardly matters. How good you are on that particular day is something, which is the most important. And the shorter the format, the narrower is the margin between the best of teams. And the last 2 years, we have struggled, and it is a fact. You know, there is no point shying away from the fact that RCB has done really, really well."
"That is how life is. You have good times, you have bad times, but you know how to come out of it, what things you want to work on as a team, those are crucial things. Because you know, when we are winning, we knew that there will come a point when we will start losing, and the real test of character is when you're not doing well. So, RCB have consistently performed in the last couple of years, and we have not done that in the last couple of years," he added.
Dhoni expressed hope that the team will "keep the injuries out of way" and the fit players will be available throughout the season next year.
"It makes life slightly easy, when people understand their role and responsibility. So we hope for another close one so that, you know, next time when we come over here (in Bengaluru for a clash against RCB), we can say that, okay, you know, 2027, we had another close game which was a lot of fun for the spectators," he said.
"Because at the end of the day, we are entertainers, you know, we come over here and entertain. And another reason why we as a batsman, why we all the batsmen love Bangalore is, you know, the ball travels over. You know, this is one venue if you hit the ball, you know, it goes for a six. Even if you are strong, you mistime a ball, there are chances it may go for a six."
"I feel batsmen, they love it. And bowlers, they somehow, they are under the pump; they are under pressure, but they also, you know, in a way they accept that, okay, this is one venue where, you know, if you do decently well, you are regarded as a good bowler. So they turn the heat up on the batsmen, say, you know, we are expecting— you are expected to hit us. So it is a very nice venue overall, you know, high-scoring but a lot of fun," he signed off.
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