MS Dhoni Out of IPL 2026 Start? CSK Suffer Massive Blow as ‘Thala’ Set to Miss Opening Matches With Injury | Details Inside

In what was supposed to be a grand return to action for MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings have turned sour. CSK announced on Saturday, March 28, that the former Team India captain will miss the opening two weeks of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League while he recovers from a calf strain. On March 30 at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, the Chennai Super Kings will play their first game of the season against the Rajasthan Royals.

It is expected that Dhoni’s position behind the stumps will be taken by Sanju Samson, who was traded in from RR ahead of the season. The absence of Dhoni will allow CSK to test the strength of their bench, allowing the likes of Prashant Veer, Sarfaraz Khan, and Kartik Sharma to feature for the five-time champions.

CSK confirms MS Dhoni ruled out

Chennai Super Kings made the announcement that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will miss the first two weeks of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The official statement from CSK said, “MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain.”

Sanju Samson to replace MS Dhoni

Sanju Samson will be expected to take MS Dhoni’s place behind the stumps as the wicketkeeper. Samson will know that he has massive shoes to fill given, Dhoni’s stature and record as a wicketkeeper. With Dhoni, his batting form might have dwindled in recent times with age catching up, however, his form behind the stumps still remains unmatched. 

CSK Predicted Playing XI

Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact Player: Anshul Kamboj

Chennai Super Kings IPL 2026 Squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar

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