Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad provided a crucial update on MS Dhoni, saying the talisman is recovering and will soon attain full fitness. The 44-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is currently on the sidelines as he is undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, CSK confirmed that the five-time tournament winner is all but set to miss the first two weeks of the 19th edition of the competition.
In Dhoni’s absence, Sanju Samson has been doing the wicketkeeping duties for the franchise. At the toss ahead of the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), CSK captain Gaikwad was asked about an update on Dhoni, and then he gave a lowdown on his current progress.
“He is on track. He is getting there slowly, slowly. He is eager to play. But you know it takes time sometimes. It will be soon,” Gaikwad said at the toss when Ravi Shastri asked him about an update on Dhoni.
Dhoni has already missed the opening three matches for CSK in the IPL 2026 season. The franchise has already lost the opening two games against the Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, and heads into the game against RCB as underdogs.
The chatter has already begun about whether the ongoing IPL season will be Dhoni’s last as a player for the franchise, with whom he has won five titles. In the last edition, the wicketkeeper-batter came under severe scrutiny over his batting position as he came to bat as low as No.8 in some games.
Last season, Dhoni played 14 matches for CSK, scoring 196 runs at an average of 24.50 and a 135.17 strike rate. Dhoni also donned the captain’s hat after Gaikwad got ruled out due to a hairline fracture.
Ever since CSK signed Samson, there has been significant chatter about Dhoni’s future in the tournament. Dhoni is only the fourth player to feature in all 19 seasons of the competition, alongside Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey.
RCB-CSK clash
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and opted to bowl first against RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. The five-time champions did not make any changes to their playing XI, and the same was true for the defending champions, RCB.
RCB are playing a match after eight days. The defending champions won their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad after chasing down a target of more than 200 runs.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy.
