Veteran player MS Dhoni of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is apparently almost fully recovered from a calf injury that prevented him from participating in the first part of the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Although he hasn’t participated in any of the team’s five games this season, the wicketkeeper may soon be back in the starting lineup.
In front of the weekend away match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), MS Dhoni is expected to make a final decision about his availability on Thursday, April 16, according to a report by RevSportz.
“MS Dhoni to take a call tomorrow morning on whether he will travel to Hyderabad for CSK’s match against SRH on Saturday. The former CSK captain, who so far has been sidelined due to a calf strain, is very close to full fitness, it is learnt. A final call will be taken tomorrow morning,” the report states.
Sanju Samson has been keeping the wicket in his absence in the season. On the contrary, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been giving updates on how Dhoni is recovering in recent matches that everything is going well following the two weeks routine of recovery as initially planned.
CSK will have to make a huge decision regarding the combo in case of the availability and fitness of MS Dhoni. The five time champions have since regained success with the same starting lineup with the addition of Akeal Hosein to the team and the resumption of Dewald Brevis to the team to date. The club poorly began the season, as it was at the bottom of the standings after losing their first three games.
“Even MS had a long chat with him” – CSK coach reveals Dhoni’s influence in Noor Ahmad’s heroics against KKR in IPL 2026
Before Noor Ahmad’s game-winning performance against KKR, CSK spin bowling coach Sridharan Sriram revealed how MS Dhoni helped develop his leg-break.
“That is something he (Noor) has been working on. Even MS had a long chat with him in one of the practice sessions, especially about getting his leg-break going. I think it was very helpful today, and the results were there to see,” the coach said after CSK’s 32-run win.
Noor Ahmad had a poor start to the season, with three consecutive wicketless games. But in CSK’s most recent match, he was the best bowler, finishing with statistics of 3-21.
