When Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take the field in their IPL 2026 opener against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Monday, it will be the first-ever time that they will play a match without either MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina.
MS Dhoni will miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026 as he is undergoing rehabilitation to treat a calf strain. Suresh Raina, on the other hand, had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 6 September 2022.
He last played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 IPL season, wherein he scored just 160 runs from 12 matches. He was released by CSK ahead of the 2022 IPL season following a few underwhelming seasons.
The "Chinna Thala" then went unsold at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, following which he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
CSK's matches without MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina
The Yellow Brigade have played 77 matches without Raina, and just five matches without Dhoni. However, the five-time champions have never played a match without both of them in the playing XI. This will be the first match in 277 games that CSK will play without the iconic duo.
Dhoni last missed an IPL match in 2019, when Chennai Super Kings took on Mumbai Indians (MI) at Chepauk. Suresh Raina, in fact, led CSK in that match. Earlier that season too, the "Thala" had missed a match when CSK took on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad.
The 44-year-old Dhoni has played 278 matches in the IPL and has scored 5439 runs at an average of 38.30. Raina, on the other hand, played a total of 205 matches in the IPL and scored 5528 runs at an average of 32.52.
As the captain of Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni led his side to five IPL titles, which came in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Raina was part of four of these title-winning sides, with the only exception being in 2023, which was Dhoni's last season as the permanent skipper of CSK. Mumbai Indians are the only other side to have won five IPL titles.
The Jharkhand cricketer did lead CSK midway through the IPL 2025 season, after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an injury.
Both RR and CSK were knocked out in the league stage of IPL 2025, as both the teams finished with just eight points each. Rajasthan Royals finished ninth whereas Chennai Super Kings finished in 10th place.
RR have not won the IPL title since clinching it in the inaugural season back in 2008.
