MS Dhoni, the legendary captain and wicketkeeper of the Chennai Super Kings, is unlikely to be seen in another IPL season. The 39-year-old is likely to step down from CSKA with the 14th season currently suspended. So who will be CSK's captain next season in 2022?


CSK is more likely to find someone who can captain the team for at least the next five years than any experienced player currently on the team. Next season's mega-auction will give CSK a chance. Let's see who are the players CSKA could target for the role of captain.


David Warner

 CSKA could try to replace Australian superstar David Warner, who has been left out of the Sunrisers Hyderabad captaincy and playing XI. He is the only player to hit 50 fifties in the tournament and the foreign player to score the most runs.


 Warner, who excelled both as a batsman and as a captain, won the SRH title in 2016. His experience is another plus point. Prior to joining SRH in the IPL, Warner was also a player for Delhi Capitals (Delhi Daredevils).


Manish Pandey

 Despite his lack of experience as a captain in the IPL, Manish Pandey has led Karnataka in many matches in domestic cricket. The 31-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad has led Karnataka to a number of titles.


 Pandey is also the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. It was while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He came to SRH after a stellar performance under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders. Pandey has been one of SRH's key players since joining the team in 2018.


Suryakumar Yadav

 Mumbai Indians star batsman Suryakumar Yadav is an experienced cricketer who has led the Mumbai team in domestic cricket. He was earlier the vice-captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Surya was instrumental in leading Mumbai to the IPL title in the 2019 and 20 seasons.


 He has played as an opener and midfielder and has scored close to 3900 runs in 180 T20 matches. This includes 21 fifties.


Steve Smith

 CSKA may also consider Australian star batsman Steve Smith, a former Rajasthan Royals captain and current Delhi Capitals star. Smith, who was left out of Rajasthan's final last season, was acquired by DC this season. He also wanted to become a permanent presence at DC No. 3. Despite disappointing captaincy with Rajasthan, no one can doubt Smith's leadership. He has already proved to the Australian team that he is a very tactful captain.


Ishan Kishan

 There are some similarities between Mumbai Indians' young batsman Ishant Kishan and Dhoni. Ishant is a native of Dhoni. He is also a wicket-keeper. Ishan was the captain of the runners-up Indian team in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. In the same year, he was called up to the Gujarat Lions team in the IPL. Ishaan, who has done well for Gujarat, was due to move to Mumbai in 2018.


 After arriving in Mumbai, the star's career graph went up. Ishaan made his T20I debut for India this year. Ishant, a left-handed batsman who loves to play offensively, had scored runs for Mumbai in the last IPL.