There is much anticipation around when MS Dhoni will be seen in action next. The five-time Indian Premier League captain is yet to play a game this year in the IPL. Ahead of the Chennai Super Kings season opener, the team issued a statement that Dhoni has been recovering from a calf strain and he is "likely to miss the first two weeks" of the IPL.
As IPL 2026 enters its fifth week, Dhoni still hasn't returned. Last week, Dhoni trained in Chennai ahead of the team's match against Kolkaka Knight Riders at Chepauk. His training involved facing throwdowns from the support staff, including batting coach Mike Hussey.
The team will play against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on Thursday. Ahead of the big-ticket clash Hussey has provided an update on Dhoni's return. "He's just progressing with his running, because obviously he's going to bat towards the back-end of the innings," Hussey has said in a statement issued by the franchise.
"He's going to scurry off those twos and things like that. So he just needs to get confidence in his running and build that speed up." Hussey added. "Look, I don't know when he's going to play, but I am hoping it's sooner rather than later, like all the fans are," Hussey explained.
CSK are struggling this season. The team was off to a poor start suffering defeats in its first four games. Things started to look good with victories over Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad has again exposed the frailties in the team.
Amid uncertainty over Dhoni's return and mounting losses, the team suffered yet another setback as young opener Ayush Mahtre suffered an injury against SRH. The injury is likely to bring to an end his IPL campaign for this season.
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