MS Dhoni has reignited hope among Chennai Super Kings as they prepare for their El Clasico clash against Mumbai Indians. The former Indian captain is back in the nets, this time donning the wicketkeeping gloves. Dhoni, who has been sidelined this season due to a calf strain, was ruled out for the first two weeks of the tournament.
Despite his absence from matches, Dhoni is actively training in the nets and he even traveled to Hyderabad with the CSK team for their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, he did not participate in the game and the fans eagerly awaited his return to the league.
On Tuesday, April 21, CSK shared a video of Dhoni practicing in the nets with gloves on. The CSK legend appeared in good spirits and playfully taunted the batter after tripping him. The full video is available for viewing.
NO CLARITY ON DHONI’S RETURN
CSK still has no confirmation on when Dhoni will return to the field. The question remains whether Dhoni will be a regular in the starting XI or whether he will be used as a shock substitute when Chennai bat.
“Actually no, I’m not sure,” said batting coach Michael Hussey when asked about Dhoni’s return. “He’s progressing nicely with his rehab and I’m happy with the way he’s batting.”
Sanjay Manjrekar expressed concern about how CSK will handle Dhoni’s returnstating: “Maybe, but then you have to play Dhoni on the field. And how do you do that? More and more he’s finding it difficult to deliver. It was a bit of a joke when he was ordered to face three or four balls and the coverage called it ‘what an innings’. It took four balls.”
Manjrekar further added, “So it’s not feasible anymore and it’s never going to be a long-term solution. I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when MS was on the field but he wasn’t the captain, as opposed to not being there at all.”
Dhoni has a strong record against Mumbai Indians, having played 44 matches and scored 772 runs at an average of over 35.
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Published on:
21 Apr 2026 20:37 IST
