Ex-CSK cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath said MS Dhoni will likely play all matches instead of being impact player in IPL 2026. "How will CSK head coach Stephen Fleming...tell Dhoni that [he's] dropped?" he noted, adding that no support staff is capable of dropping Dhoni from a match. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had earlier said Dhoni would be available for all games.