Former CSK captain MS Dhoni has refused to provide a concrete timeline on his return to action in IPL 2026. Dhoni has missed all of CSK’s 6 matches in IPL 2026 while recovering from a calf strain.
His absence has made life difficult for CSK, five-time champions, who are eighth in the points table with 4 points in 6 games. CSK have taken blow after blow with injuries to key players and some other players losing their form.
CSK’s injury problems
Apart from MS Dhoni’s recovery from a calf strain, CSK has also had to deal with injuries to other players. Pacer Nathan Ellis was ruled out before the season and CSK brought in Spencer Johnson to replace him. Johnson was also recovering from an injury but has now joined CSK.
Dewald Brevis was unable to play the opening matches due to injury, but returned to the team. Despite returning, Brevis was injured again and had to sit out.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and top-order batsman Ayush Mhatre have also been completely ruled out of the tournament. CSK are understood to be looking for replacements.
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MS Dhoni’s return to action
RevSportz has reported that MS Dhoni is yet to confirm whether he will be available or not for CSK’s clash against Mumbai Indians on April 23. While he has been batting and keeping the nets in recent days, there has been no indication as to whether he will be ready to take action.
It is understood that the CSK team management has left the decision entirely to him. If not against MI on April 23, then Dhoni could finally return to action against Gujarat Titans on April 26. This would mean that what was initially reported as a ‘two-week absence’ may now turn into MS Dhoni being unavailable for literally half the season.
Both dates are ultimately speculative in nature as Dhoni has not given any sort of indication as to when he will finally be able to set foot on the ground.
CSK without MS Dhoni
In Dhoni’s absence, Sanju Samson has taken over the gloves for CSK. But his form with the bat has also been shaky. In 6 matches, Samson made 192 runs with a high score of 115* and failed to get past 50 in any other innings. Although he has come out with a healthy strike rate of 175.
Dhoni’s absence has also caused middle-order problems for CSK as their established middle-order options in Matt Short, Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma and Shivam Dube have not been up to the mark.
CSK’s next schedule
Chennai Super Kings have won only two of their six matches in IPL 2026 so far. This means that every upcoming game is crucial for them if they want to qualify for the playoffs.
CSK will play Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23 and then host Gujarat Titans and MI on April 26 and May 2, respectively.
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