Summary of this article
Chennai Super Kings fans hoped to see MS Dhoni return from a calf strain against Mumbai Indians
At the toss, Gaikwad confirmed Dhoni was not included in the playing XI or as an impact substitute
Dhoni is now expected to make his comeback in CSK’s next match against Gujarat Titans on April 26
Mumbai Indians (MI) are hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 33 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. This match was an exciting one for CSK fans, as it was set to mark the return of MS Dhoni to the squad.
Dhoni missed the start of the IPL season with a calf strain. Ahead of the El Clasico match against MI, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons revealed that a decision on Dhoni’s participation “will be taken tomorrow by him and the medical staff, if he is absolutely ready to go”.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad echoed similar sentiments, saying, “He is getting there slowly. Maybe he might feature in the next game or the one after that. He will be back one day, definitely.” This sparked hopes that CSK fans will see the veteran wicketkeeper behind the stumps against MI.
However, after the toss during the MI vs CSK match, Gaikwad revealed his team, and it had no mention of MS Dhoni in either the playing XI or the impact substitutes. As a result, Sanju Samson will be CSK’s wicketkeeper against MI.
For now, fans will have to wait to see Dhoni’s first appearance in IPL 2026, which will hopefully come in CSK’s next match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 26.
MI vs CSK, IPL 2026: Team News
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar.
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.
