M.S. Dhoni did not feature in a single IPL game this season. | Photo Credit: PTI

Former India batter and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes Chennai Super Kings has reached a point where sentiment and stability can no longer outweigh the need for change. Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, Manjrekar said the franchise’s greatest strength over the years, continuity, may now be holding it back.

CSK ended the 2026 season with six wins and eight defeats from 14 matches. Although it revived its campaign midway through the tournament by winning six of eight games, the five-time champion finished with three successive losses, underlining concerns over a squad that has struggled to evolve quickly enough in recent seasons.

“I think that’s CSK’s culture,” Manjrekar said, referring to the franchise’s long-standing faith in its core group. “It’s one of the reasons why they’ve been such a successful IPL team. They hardly changed their playing XI, the coach has been the same. But with everything, what was their strength, they’ve just gone overboard with it.”

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Manjrekar argued that much of CSK’s past success revolved around MS Dhoni, whose influence as captain and player masked several structural issues. Dhoni remained part of the squad this season but did not play a single game because of injury concerns, further fuelling questions around the franchise’s transition and future planning. “Once he started fading away as captain and player, their performances have not been the same,” Manjrekar said.

While he acknowledged the successful partnership between Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming, Manjrekar questioned whether continuity alone could revive the side. “It’s time that we did this. One of the things you’ve got to do is just change things around,” he said, adding that CSK’s decline has not been a one-season anomaly.

Manjrekar also felt the franchise needed to move emotionally beyond Dhoni. “In IPL cricket, you’ve got to move on very quickly. People who hold on to past memories and past glories are struggling,” he said.

Published on May 26, 2026