In what could probably be the last IPL season of MS Dhoni, the glimpses of the five-time IPL-winning captain have been few. And not a single one on the field as ‘Thala’ has been out of action for more than two weeks due to a calf injury.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are reeling in a tough situation right now. Despite the boost of Sanju Samson, CSK began their IPL 2026 campaign on a poor note, losing their first three games, including against state rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
However, CSK finally pulled one back by beating Delhi Capitals at the Chepauk, courtesy of a thunderous century from Samson and a terrific four-wicket haul from Jamie Overton.
With that victory, CSK pushed themselves to the ninth spot in the points table, pummelling the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the tenth position, with Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR being the only team yet to win their first match this season.
These two teams, CSK vs KKR, will collide on Tuesday evening in Chennai. But the major question lingers: Will MS Dhoni play or when will he play?
CSK vs KKR: Will MS Dhoni Play Today Against Kolkata?
No, Dhoni will not feature today against KKR. Initially said to be out for two weeks, Dhoni’s return has been delayed as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Dhoni has been training in the past week but only facing throwdowns from the support staff and hasn’t yet gone full throttle in the nets session.
A day before the CSK vs KKR encounter, Dhoni had a brief stint in the Chepauk nets towards the end of CSK’s net session. Dhoni also didn’t don the gloves on Monday’s training period. Clearly, these are not the signs of a player who would play in a game the next day.
While Dhoni will miss at least one more game – and could be two – CSK received a shot in the arm in their last match when Dewald Brevis returned to the park.
CSK are awaiting the fitness clearance of fast bowler Spencer Johnson, who replaced the injured Nathan Ellis. Johnson is expected to join the CSK squad next week.
Talking of CSK’s potential lineup to face KKR, Ruturaj Gaikwad is unlikely to make any changes to the side that registered a victory against Delhi.
CSK vs KKR: CSK Predicted XI + Impact Player
Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Shivam Dube, Akeal Hosein, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed (Impact)
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