Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni visited the Deori Mandir in Diuri village, Jharkhand, on Friday, February 27. He sought blessings as he gears up his cricketing comeback in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Dhoni has often visited the 700-year-old temple to pray before major cricket tournaments. He offered prayers to the holy deity ahead of IPL 2025 as well. The temple is famous for its Solah Bhuji Devi, a 16-armed avatar of Goddess Durga.

The video of Dhoni at the ancient temple was shared by one of his fan clubs on social media. Watch the clip:

Chennai retained MS Dhoni at ₹4 crore as an uncapped player ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, as per the revised retention rules. He returned as the CSK captain in the edition after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out after five matches due to an elbow injury.

The five-time champions endured a disappointing campaign. They bagged their maiden wooden spoon, finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in the league’s history. They finished with four wins and 10 losses. Dhoni amassed 196 runs across 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17.

MS Dhoni trains in Ranchi to prepare for IPL 2026

MS Dhoni was recently seen sweating it out in the nets ahead of IPL 2026. A video on social media showed the veteran wicketkeeper-batter batting in Ranchi. The 44-year-old has commenced his preparations for the tournament.

Watch the video of Dhoni’s batting:

Dhoni is currently the most-capped player in the IPL. He has played 278 matches and has 5,439 runs to his name. He also leads the list of the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in the league, with 154 catches and 47 stumpings.

Meanwhile, the Chennai-based side strengthened their squad by signing nine players at the IPL 2026 auction. The franchise invested heavily in uncapped Indian players, roping in Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer for ₹14.20 crore each. The two became the most expensive uncapped players in IPL history.

They also acquired the services of leg spinner Rahul Chahar (₹5 crore) and batter Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh). Their overseas signing at the mini-auction included West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore) and New Zealand pacer Matt Henry (₹2 crore).