Just days ahead of their opening game in the IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a severe setback as their talismanic player MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the tournament for at least ‘two weeks’ because of a calf strain.
“MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. As a result, he is likely to miss the first two weeks of TATA IPL 2026. Get well soon, Thala,” says an official statement from the CSK on their social media account on Saturday.
CSK begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on Monday and will face Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals in the first two weeks of the season.
https://x.com/ChennaiIPL/status/2037749077728010360?s=20
Dhoni played all 14 matches last year, batting low down the order and preferring an entry point in the last few overs. He scored 196 runs from 13 innings, striking at 135.17 with a highest score of 30 not out.
CSK had earlier suffered an injury blow with Australia fast bowler Nathan Ellis ruled out of the entire tournament with a hamstring injury. He has been replaced by his compatriot Spencer Johnson. Johnson has joined a fast-bowling attack headlined by Matt Henry, with Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh, Zak Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton and Mukesh Choudhary the other frontline options, as well as batting allrounder Shivam Dube.
Sanju Samson is the right guy to take over CSK leadership post Dhoni era, says de Villiers
Samson is favourite to keep wickets
Indian star Sanju Samson, who will open the batting alongside captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, is the favourite to take up the wicketkeeping gloves in Dhoni’s absence. However, CSK also have other options in Urvil Patel and Kartik Sharma.
If Dhoni is playing as an Impact Player, I think it’s time for him to hang up his boots: Chopra
While Samson was traded in from Rajasthan Royals, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran heading the other way, CSK spent a whopping Rs 14.20 crore on rookie Kartik, who impressed with his six-hitting exploits in domestic cricket. Urvil, meanwhile, was retained after he made three appearances last season, striking at 212.50.
With just four victories, CSK finished bottom of the table in 2025 and will be looking for a change in fortunes this year.
