At the start of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released a statement on social media saying, “MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. As a result, he is likely to miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026.” The announcement was made on March 28, the day the IPL 2026 kicked off in Bengaluru.
Since then, more than two weeks – 21 days to be exact – have passed with no sign of Dhoni as CSK named a playing XI without the former skipper against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. During the first two weeks, Dhoni did not travel with the team for away matches and even to Chepauk for match days at home.
But after the pictures of Dhoni traveling to Hyderabad for the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad surfaced, the expectations of the fans who came to watch the match were high. But to everyone’s disappointment, neither the toss host Ravi Shastri nor CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad even mentioned Dhoni’s name during the coin toss.
Why are CSK delaying the return of MS Dhoni?
While there is no concrete information about Dhoni’s current fitness, but the 44-year-old was seen batting in the nets and smashing deliveries in equal measure on the eve of the Sunrisers Hyderabad clash.
CSK posted a video on Instagram where Dhoni was seen hitting the nets and smashing some massive sixes. Dhoni also had a light stint in the nets ahead of his team’s clash against three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Chepauk Stadium.
While from the outside, Dhoni may look fit while firing in the nets, but the five-time IPL-winning skipper is believed to be not 100% fit to play in the game. This sixth game that Dhoni missed in IPL 2026. He was not even named in the list of impact subs.
When will MS Dhoni return in IPL 2026?
According to a report by RevSportz, Dhoni is likely to return to the CSK playing XI against Gujarat Titans on April 26. On the eve of the Sunrisers Hyderabad clash, head coach Stephen Fleming was asked about Dhoni’s return. The New Zealander mentioned that the management is happy with Dhoni’s progress but remained tight-lipped on his return and added another mystery.
Meanwhile, CSK made two changes against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, bringing in Matthew Short and Mukesh Choudhary in place of Akeal Hosein and the injured Khaleel Ahmed.
SRH vs CSK playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora(w), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga.
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
