New Delhi: The whistles are back in Chennai – and so is the laughter. Preparations for IPL 2026 began in earnest as Indian Super Kings and Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni held his first training session along with current skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and other players at the team’s high-performance center on Sunday.
The five-time champions kicked off the training camp with several Indian players reporting for duty, while the overseas recruits and foreign coaching staff are yet to assemble. Currently, assistant coaches Sridharan Sriram and Rajiv Kumar are overseeing the training along with strength and conditioning coach Greg King.
But it wasn’t long before the spotlight and the smiles were on Dhoni.
Dhoni was at his best in mischief when facing left-arm spinners in the nets.
The bowler bowled a deflection, and Dhoni, rather than simply letting it go, paused, made a dramatic gesture of deflection, and gave a playful, dance-like signal.
Team-mates, support staff and everyone on the pitch erupted in laughter when the 44-year-old reminded everyone that even the pre-season nets can serve as entertainment when he is on the pitch.
Those present at the meeting included Ayush Mhatre, Mukesh Choudhary, Rahul Chahar, Urvil Patel, Ramakrishna Ghosh and Sarfaraz Khan. The team then shared footage from a training session, with Dhoni and Gaikwad batting in adjacent nets – a symbolic passing of the baton that sent fans into a frenzy online.
When Dhoni performed, Gaikwad looked sharp and smooth, displaying confident footwork and clean timing. Sarfaraz, meanwhile, keenly observed Dhoni’s net play – perhaps picking up a trick or two from the finishing maestro.
New signings Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma have also joined the team and participated in training as preparations progress.
The training camp at this stage mainly focuses on domestic Indian players. International players currently serving in the national team will join later. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who are participating in the T20 World Cup in India, are expected to join the team after the match on March 7. Shreyas Gopal, who just finished the Karnataka Ranji Trophy final, will also report later.
Earlier, the team unveiled its kit for next season, officially setting the tone for another blockbuster IPL campaign.
Team:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Short, Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Kartik, Shivam Dube, Zak Foulkes, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Aman Khan, Veer, Noor Ahmad, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Nathan Ellis, Matt Henry, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Chaudhry.
