Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin feels that MS Dhoni could bat higher in the order, rather than at No.8 or No.9, in the upcoming IPL season. Ashwin’s comments came after videos and images of Dhoni’s practice sessions for IPL 2026 went viral on social media.
Dhoni had a difficult IPL 2025 campaign, scoring less than 200 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 135.17. He batted late, so people wondered if he’d play much next season. Speaking about Dhoni’s preparations for the upcoming IPL, Ashwin shared his views on his YouTube channel:
“Dhoni looks set to play as he has already started practicing. He’s looking fit. Some said he may not play in the 11, or this might be his last season. But it looks like he got motivated seeing Imran Tahir. Looking at him, it doesn’t look like he’ll bat at No.9. He looks like he’ll come out to bat at No.3 in the power play and be the enforcer, the way he has begun practice.”
“Can Anyone Stop CSK’s Batting Lineup?”- Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin praised CSK’s batting lineup, calling it a powerful force with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, and Shivam Dube in the top five. The Men in Yellow made a big off-season move by bringing in Samson in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran from Rajasthan Royals (RR).
“They’ve scouted very well and boast a powerhouse of a batting lineup. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Karthik Sharma, and Prashant Veer is a batting lineup, barring the inexperience in the last two, you ask how are teams going to stop this batting lineup? Even a 200 to 200 becomes really difficult for teams to stop CSK to,” said Ashwin (via the aforementioned source).
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