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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly once again approached former India skipper MS Dhoni to take a mentorship role with the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Defending champions India will enter the tournament as one of the favourites, having won the last edition in 2024. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Men in Blue in the tournament.
Dhoni was first roped in as Team India's mentor by the BCCI ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2021. The former India captain was part of the backroom staff under head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli. However, the Indian team didn't perform well in the tournament as they failed to make it to the knockout stage of the tournament.
India also endured a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against arch-rivals Pakistan before exiting from the group stage. However, as per a report in Cricblogger, the BCCI are interested in once again having Dhoni on board as the Indian team's mentor before the T20 World Cup next year. The Indian cricket board believes his strategic mind and leadership experience can help the young guns in the Indian team in a high-pressure tournament like the World Cup.
The report further adds that Dhoni is also being considered for an all-format mentorship role for India, which will include the women's and the junior cricket teams as well. The board believes Dhoni can be an ideal mentor to groom the young generation of Indian cricketers.
As per the report, Dhoni is unlikely to accept the offer ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, as the former India captain would want to avoid a situation where he overlaps with his former India teammate Gautam Gambhir, who is currently the head coach of the Indian team. Though the duo share mutual respect, Dhoni might not want to take up the role to avoid any ideological differences with Gambhir.
Dhoni is also focused on preparing for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 44-year-old is in the final lap of his career, but has remained coy on his future in the IPL and continues to ply his trade for the five-time champions. Dhoni was retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction last year and also led the side in Ruturaj Gaikwad's absence in the second half of the tournament.
Dhoni's name has often cropped up in discussions around India's coaching role, however, the former India captain has never shown interest in taking up a full-time job. India's most successful captain of all time, Dhoni, is regarded as one of the sharpest brains in world cricket. At 44, he continues to go strong for CSK in IPL, and it remains to be seen if he will agree to return as mentor for Team India for the T20 World Cup next year.
