The lingering mystery surrounding MS Dhoni’s complete absence from the ongoing Indian Premier League season took a convincing turn as veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hinted that the legendary wicket-taker could finally make a comeback in Chennai Super Kings’ clash against SunRisers Hyderabad on Monday.
Dhoni who did not play a single match in Chennai’s 12 games so far this season, a calf injury sustained during pre-season training left the fans down again on Friday night. Despite travel arrangements to join the unit in Lucknow, the 44-year-old ended up staying in Chennai as CSK suffered a crushing seven-wicket defeat against Lucknow Super Giants.
Ashwin, however, offered a reassuring assessment of Dhoni’s fitness on his YouTube channel and hinted that a return for Monday’s 11th game in Chepauk is firmly on the horizon.
“Even now, if we talk about quality pace, I think he’s the one,” Ashwin said, underscoring Dhoni’s enduring value in a middle-order that has at times lacked late-innings momentum.
“We’ll see. I feel there’s a good chance he’ll play against SunRisers Hyderabad. Let’s wait and see how it goes.”
It remains to be seen whether the former skipper can provide a fairytale ending to an otherwise frustrating season, but according to Ashwin, the medical green is imminent.
“As I heard, he was ready to take the field in the last two-three matches,” Ashwin said.
ASHWIN DEFENDS CHENNAI IN THE INJURY SIDE
Ashwin has addressed the inevitable scrutiny that accompanies a high-profile athlete’s long-term rehabilitation to the defense of the Chennai team management. He dismissed the notion that captain Ruturaj Gaikwad or head coach Stephen Fleming could have handled the situation differently, pointing instead to the complex realities of modern sports science.
“I think the more you restrict training, the more chances of him getting injured. Some look at jumping from match to match to avoid injury – that’s wrong. But this is a different department; it’s physiotherapy and sports science. I don’t think it’s the coach and captain’s fault. There’s nothing they can do,” Ashwin explained.
In Dhoni’s absence, Chennai have had to navigate an incredibly turbulent campaign, relying on Sanju Samson behind the stumps and struggling to piece together a functioning lower order. With young Dewald Brevis finding it difficult to provide the needed thrust in the death overs, Dhoni’s return as a finisher and field tactician could prove to be a major tactical upgrade for the final two league matches.
Despite the setback in Lucknow, which leaves Chennai precariously sixth in the table with 12 points and an anemic Net Run Rate of +0.027, Ashwin praised the team’s resilience in keeping their title defense alive.
“Personally, I think they did an extremely good job to keep going and keep the team alive in this tournament. It’s not easy,” he said.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
16 May 2026 09:35 IST
