Chennai Super Kings’ stalwart MS Dhoni has underlined the importance of Ruturaj Gaikwad’s return to the side, saying his return will strenghten the side’s batting heading into the IPL 2026. Last season, CSK struggled mightily after Gaikwad was ruled unavailable following just five appearances in the tournament. He was ruled out of the league due to an elbow injury. In Gaikwad’s absence, Dhoni took over the captaincy duties. However, he failed to bring stability to the side as the team continued to tumble down the standings and ultimately finished last, winning only four matches. 

“There were certain holes that we needed to plug. We are slightly worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now,” Dhoni said at an event in Chennai.

Dhoni said the team will try to build the lineup at the mini-auction later this year. 

“I feel more often than not, we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. A small auction is coming in December; some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those,” he added.

“You have to be at your best at the start of the tournament and get the planning right. You have to use the resources in the best possible manner. We will try to sort out most of the things and will hopefully be at our best.”

Dhoni admitted that the last couple of seasons have been fruitful for the team. 

“Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also."

“We were like, okay, there are some shortcomings. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions. What are the solutions available?” he said.