Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) struggles continued in the ongoing IPL 2026, and now the team management and MS Dhoni have come under fire. The five-time champions seem restless this season and are struggling to find their rhythm, having lost four of their six matches so far.

With Chennai Super Kings languishing at seventh place in the IPL 2026 points table, everyone is wondering what is going wrong inside the camp. They recently suffered a 10-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their previous game in Hyderabad.

Sanjay Manjrekar targets CSK owners and team management for dismal start

Now, reacting to CSK’s woes, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has refused to blame the players but has pointed the finger at the team management for the disastrous start to the 2026 season. He said they make the big decisions, so they must share the hate.

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Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast: “I’m going to put this blame on the owners and the people who make the big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he was captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order.”

The cricket expert also criticized MS Dhoni’s management and his huge influence on the team. The CSK legend has not played a single match so far in the ongoing IPL 2026 due to a calf injury, but his presence continues to dominate discussions across the team.

Sanjay Manjrekar slams ‘sycophantic fandom’ around MS Dhoni

He feels the adulation around MS Dhoni has gone too far and is now creating confusion in the team and making things difficult for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored just 82 runs in six innings, to lead freely. This is eventually affecting the team’s performance in the tournament.

Manjrekar further added, “And then that with MS Dhoni, whether he is going to play or captain, they handled it very badly. And this is where you see the adulation of Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, there are not only fans who follow Dhoni; there is adulation around him.”

He also shared a moment to show how strong Dhoni’s fans are. The cricket pandit recalled a close situation where Dhoni was short of the crease and should have been left with nothing. When he pointed it out on air, he faced a lot of hate from his fans.

Manjrekar said: “Fans got angry at me for saying that because it was anti-Dhoni. So somewhere along the line they lost sight of the bigger picture.”

Gaikwad’s captaincy will be affected when MS Dhoni plays in XI again: Manjrekar

There is talk of MS Dhoni approaching 100% fitness and Manjrekar pointed out that putting the legendary goalkeeper back in the playing XI will be a joke. He felt that Dhoni will find it difficult to get going when he returns and would only make things difficult for Gaikwad.

Manjrekar signed off by saying, “So, it was a bit of a joke when I used to go down the order and just play three or four balls. The cover also exaggerated that: ‘What an innings’. And it lasted four balls.”

“So that’s no longer feasible, 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 he wasn’t the captain, as opposed to MS not being there and he being solely in charge.”

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