Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has revealed that MS Dhoni has personally told him he won’t play as an Impact Player in IPL 2027. Dhoni could not play a single match in IPL 2026 due to injury woes, and there are doubts about his future.
Sanju Samson, who was traded from Rajasthan Royals, kept wickets for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026. Meanwhile, Dhoni has all the experience under his belt, but he has surprisingly pushed himself down the order in the last few seasons of the IPL.
Subramaniam Badrinath said on his YouTube Channel, “He has personally told me that he won’t play as an Impact Player. He sees himself as a full-time keeper, and that means he has to be on the field for the full 20 overs. So he won’t play as an Impact Player, but I feel if he does, it’ll tactically benefit CSK. His body cannot withstand long durations, which even Fleming has said. He is only going to bat after the 16th over and keep wickets. When his participation is so less, he would be ideal as an Impact Player.”
On the other hand, former CSK batter questioned the franchise for not using Shivam Dube with the ball in the previous season and added that the Impact Player rule should not be blamed.
“Shivam Dube bowling for India but not for CSK is not because of the Impact Player rule. It has to do with the CSK management and their lack of usage of Dube with the ball. Why are they using him as an Impact Player? The rule cannot be blamed,” said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).
Badrinath also questioned CSK’s usage of Akeal Hosein, adding that the West Indies spinner should be a certainty in the playing XI.
“Akeal Hosein should be a certainty in the playing 11. But CSK keeps him as an Impact Player, and then when they bat poorly, they end up using an extra batter as an Impact Player. Because of this, Akeal Hosein ends up not playing. That’s just foolishness. You can’t blame the rule for your own foolishness.”
CSK could not qualify for the playoffs in the previous season, and they would look to turn a corner in the next edition.
