Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming revealed why MS Dhoni was not available for their clash against Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 26, confirming that the veteran wicketkeeper suffered another setback in his recovery.
According to Fleming, Dhoni picked up a fresh bag on his calf, raising fresh doubts about his availability for the upcoming games. Dhoni has not featured in the IPL so far this season after being ruled out with a calf injury. CSK had earlier confirmed on social media that the former captain would miss the opening two weeks of the campaign.
Ahead of Sunday’s match, anticipation was building and fans were hoping that Dhoni would return to action in Chepauk. However, these hopes were dashed when he was again left out of the playing XI.
After the match, Fleming said that CSK tried to speed up Dhoni’s recovery, but the injury resurfaced during the warm-up game.
WHY DID CSK DECIDE TO PLAY SAFE?
Fleming explained that Dhoni’s calf remains a major concern, especially as any serious strain could rule him out for the rest of the season. As a result, CSK opted for a cautious approach rather than risk aggravating the injury in a competitive match.
“But that calf is tough. If he takes off and tears that calf again, then he’s gone. So we moved it early. He tweaked it again in the warmup game. I understand that and since then he’s just been working hard to get some movement in it. But there was a setback, so it took longer than we thought,” Fleming said.
The warm-up game was seen as a controlled environment in which CSK could assess Dhoni’s fitness without subjecting him to the demands of a full IPL fixture. Once the discomfort returned, the team decided not to take any further chances.
CRUSHING DEFEAT AT GT
Earlier reports suggested that Dhoni was also reluctant to upset the balance of the team and did not want to unnecessarily occupy the place of a younger player. But CSK is having a bad time with va crushing defeat of Gujarat Titanshis absence was again felt.
After coming into the game on the back of a great win over Mumbai Indians, CSK failed to build momentum. Gujarat produced a clinical performance with Sai Sudharsan leading the chase as GT secured a comfortable win.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
26 Apr 2026 21:51 IST
