Delhi:A big change has taken place in Chennai Super Kings before IPL 2027. Zaheer Khan has been made the new head coach of the team in place of Stephen Fleming. Now amidst this change, the biggest discussion is about MS Dhoni. The franchise has made it clear that Dhoni will remain with the team as a player and not as a coach or mentor.

CSK made its plan clear regarding Dhoni

CSK Managing Director Kasi Vishwanathan said on Monday that MS Dhoni is available as a player. That means his role for IPL 2027 will currently be that of a team player.

There was also talk of making Dhoni the head coach in place of Stephen Fleming. It was also claimed in some reports that he can officially play the role of mentor in the team. But no such role has been confirmed by the franchise.

Dhoni could not play in the 2026 season

MS Dhoni could not play the entire season of IPL 2026 due to injury. During that time, he played M.A., his home ground in Chennai. Chidambaram did not even visit the stadium.

According to reports, Dhoni did not want his name and stardom to be in the news more than the youth team. In such a situation, he kept himself a little away from the team and gave the players a chance to move forward on their own.

Can work together with Zaheer

Dhoni not being officially in the coaching role does not mean that his influence on the team will end. He has been a part of the most important decisions of CSK for a long time and his opinion has great importance in the team.

Dhoni's consent is also considered important in the appointment of Zaheer Khan. Dhoni and Zaheer have played together for the Indian team for a long time. Both were also part of the team that won the 2011 World Cup.

In such a situation, the combination of experience of both can be interesting for CSK in IPL 2027. While Zaheer will take charge of the team as the head coach, Dhoni can help the team with his experience as a player.