The Chennai Super Kings fans have had to wait longer to see the legend, MS Dhoni, back in action in the Indian Premier League 2026. The former captain was closing in on full fitness midway through the season but ended up getting injured once again during training. While the coaches have cited Dhoni’s fitness as the primary reason behind his absence, several media reports suggest that the veteran keeper-batter does not want to disturb the team combination.
Meanwhile, it has been learned that Dhoni hasn’t travelled to Delhi for CSK’s next fixture against the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.
“He’s not with us, but steadily improving. He’ll be ready when he’s ready, and he knows when he’s ready to play. But he hasn’t travelled," said CSK consultant Eric Simmons.
In Dhoni’s absence, Sanju Samson has taken the spot behind the wickets. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has been efficient with the bat as well, leading the way with two centuries and amassing 315 runs in 9 matches.
Earlier, head coach Stephen Fleming had explained what exactly had gone wrong with MS Dhoni.
Fleming noted that Dhoni’s calf remains a major concern, especially since any serious strain could rule him out for the remainder of the season. As a result, CSK have opted for a cautious approach rather than risk aggravating the injury in a competitive match.
“The calf is a tough one, though. If he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone. So we pushed it early. In the warm-up game, he tweaked it again. That’s my understanding, and since then, he has just been working hard to get some movement into it. But there was a setback, so it has taken longer than we thought," Fleming said.
