The struggle of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) continues in the ongoing IPL 2026 and now the team management and MS Dhoni have come under attack. The five-time champions have looked shaky this season and are struggling to find rhythm as they have lost four of their six matches so far.
With Chennai Super Kings placed seventh in the IPL 2026 points table, everyone is wondering what is going wrong inside the camp. They recently suffered a 10-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last game in Hyderabad.
Sanjay Manjrekar hits out at CSK owners and team management for disappointing start
Now, reacting to CSK’s struggles, former India cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has refused to blame the players but pointed the finger at the team management for the disastrous start to the 2026 season. He said that they take big decisions, so they should share the hatred.
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“The blame, I’m going to lay at the door of the owners and the people who make big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he became captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
Cricket pundits also criticized MS Dhoni’s handling and his overarching influence on the team. The CSK veteran player has not played a single match so far in the ongoing IPL 2026 due to a calf injury, but his presence remains a topic of discussion in the team.
Sanjay Manjrekar criticizes ‘sycophant fans’ around MS Dhoni
He feels the sycophancy around MS Dhoni has gone too far, and now it is creating confusion in the team and making things difficult for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored just 82 runs in six innings, to lead independently. This is ultimately impacting the team’s performance in the tournament.
Manjrekar added, “And then that thing with MS Dhoni, whether he was going to play or whether he was going to be the captain, he handled it very badly. And that’s where you see the sycophancy of the Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, Dhoni doesn’t just have a fan following; there is sycophancy all around it.”
He also shared a moment to show how strong Dhoni’s fan following is. The cricket pundit recalled a close run-out situation where Dhoni was away from the crease and should have been run out. When he told this on-air, he faced a lot of hatred from his fans.
Manjrekar said, “Fans got upset with me saying this because it was anti-Dhoni. So somehow they missed the whole picture.”
Gaikwad’s captaincy will be affected if MS Dhoni returns to the playing eleven: Manjrekar
There are talks that MS Dhoni is close to 100% fitness, and Manjrekar pointed out that fitting the great wicketkeeper back into the playing XI would be a joke. He admitted that when Dhoni returns, it will be difficult for him to move forward and this will make things difficult for Gaikwad.
Manjrekar signed off by saying, “So, it was a bit of a joke when he would come in lower down the order and play just three or four balls. That would also be publicized in the coverage – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted for four balls.”
“So that’s not possible now, and it was never going to be a long-term thing. So, I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when MS was on the field but not captaining, whereas MS was not there and he was completely in charge.”
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