The Indian Premier League 2026 has been a massive success so far, with ‘Revenge Week’ kicking off on May 2nd with a blockbuster clash between arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, as the race for qualification intensifies. Despite CSK’s thumping eight-wicket win over MI, led by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 67, the omission of legend MS Dhoni immediately grabbed the spotlight, especially with him travelling with the squad for this high-octane clash.
Dhoni, who played his last match for CSK against the Gujarat Titans in the last edition of the IPL, is yet to feature in this campaign after a persistent calf injury sustained during the pre-season. He has been a cornerstone of CSK’s five championship-winning campaigns since his debut for the franchise in 2008, but has yet to appear this season.
CSK, who made a lacklustre start to their 2026 campaign with three consecutive losses under Gaikwad’s leadership, have seen a massive turnaround, as the side sits 6th on the table with 4 wins out of 9 matches played so far. The team and the fans will be looking out for the experience and on-pitch charm of Dhoni amid this turnaround and in their bid to secure a qualification spot.
Ahead of the crucial clash against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, May 5th, CSK’s bowling coach Eric Simmons told the media that Dhoni hasn’t travelled with the squad to Delhi and refused to provide any further update on the 44-year-old wicketkeeper-batter.
“Update on MS Dhoni is way above my pay grade. He’s not with us in Delhi, but he’s steadily improving. He will be ready when he’s ready. He knows when he’s ready to play, but he hasn’t travelled yet,” Simmons said on Monday, May 4th, on the eve of their clash against DC.
Dhoni, who cleared his fitness tests and received the green light from the medical team, travelled with the squad ahead of their matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and MI last month but has not featured in the playing XI yet. It remains to be seen when the fan favourite, regarded as ‘Thala’, will be back in contention this season to help his side amid their fight for a Top 4 spot.
‘Team first’
Batting coach Mike Hussey earlier added that Dhoni always puts the team first, ahead of himself, and prefers not to turn up at match venues, as it can be a distraction for the team and the fans who are trying to find their place under the new skipper Gaikwad.
“He’s such a team-oriented guy, MS Dhoni. He always wants what’s best for the team, and he was worried that if he came, there’d be a bit too much of a distraction.”
“Obviously, the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him and things like that. And he really wanted the team to just be able to go about their job, do our thing. Whether that’s right or wrong, that’s not my decision to sort of make, but that’s the thinking behind with Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches,” Hussey added.