Ex-India cricketer Robin Uthappa said it "genuinely feels like the right time" for CSK's 44-year-old wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni to step away, considering their squad after the IPL 2026 auction. "Many of these players were...kids when Dhoni first started playing the IPL," he stated. Uthappa added, "From here...CSK will need to identify a core from within this group and build forward."