In the 33rd match of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Mumbai Indians (MI) hosted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium. CSK was once again without their former captain MS Dhoni in the team. As Dhoni has not recovered from the calf strain he suffered during the pre-season, he has missed 7 games in a row.

During the match, CSK’s batting coach was on the microphone with Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar asking about MS Dhoni’s return date and the role the former CSK captain will take up once he is available in the team.

MS Dhoni to return in next game: Mike Hussey

Mike Hussey said: “We are hopeful that MS Dhoni will return in the next game and we want him as soon as possible. He wasn’t 100% today, but he was batting well in the nets and running between the wickets, so we hope that he will return in the next match. When MS Dhoni comes, he will be behind the stumps, not as an impact player.”

MS Dhoni was seen during the practice sessions last night and he also kept wickets in the nets. He was reported fit for the game; However, Dhoni was not named in the team. Surprisingly, MS Dhoni has also not been seen on the bench or in the stadium.

Dhoni was seen playing with Champak

Dhoni, who has led CSK to five wins in the IPL, had an intensive training session on Tuesday, keeping wickets and then batting in the nets. On Wednesday, he had a quick session before taking a break, then returned for more than an hour to face pitching specialists and fast bowlers.

After the session, Dhoni, a dog enthusiast, was seen playing with the AI-powered IPL robotic dog, communicating with it briefly. He tried to get the robot to imitate his gestures, but it couldn’t always respond.

I have never seen Dhoni in the nets: Ravi Ashwin

Ahead of the MI vs CSK clash, former CSK player Ravichandran Ashwin dropped his verdict on Dhoni’s injury and confirmed that the latter has been declared fit to return and is expected to replace Sanju Samson.

“I have never seen Dhoni in the nets before, never in my life. Today he did, which means he will take up the goalkeeper’s gloves, and Sanju would have to take on an outfield role or he could come in as an impact player. And I am 100% sure that he will play tomorrow (last day). I have heard that he is fit and ready to play,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Coming into the match, CSK were invited to bat first and despite four wickets, Sanju Samson played a brilliant knock and stood firm at one end. Samson has been unbeaten on 59 runs and has a big role to play without a specialist batsman if he comes out.

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