Summary of this article
CSK won toss, opted to bowl against SRH
MS Dhoni not playing match in Hyderabad owing to calf strain
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma also plagued with injuries
As Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan stood together at the toss for match 27 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Uppal on Saturday (April 18), one question preyed on most viewers' minds: will MS Dhoni finally play his first game of the season?
ALSO READ: SRH Vs CSK Live Score
Dhoni mania had hit Hyderabad on the day of his arrival, with this being the first time the 44-year-old has travelled with the Super Kings for an away game in the 2026 edition. But there was more disappointment in store for his fans, as the CSK talisman did not feature in their playing XI or impact substitutes list.
Dhoni is recovering from a calf strain that has kept him out of IPL 2026 so far. While the Super Kings team management had earlier stated two weeks as the time required for his rehabilitation, it is anyone's guess when the former India captain would finally take the field in what will most likely be his last IPL season.
Coincidentally, two other contemporary titans of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, are also dealing with injuries. Kohli hurt his ankle during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) face-off with Mumbai Indians (MI) and came in as an Impact Player subsequently against Lucknow Super Giants.
Rohit, meanwhile, retired hurt in the aforementioned RCB vs MI clash owing to a hamstring issue and missed his team's match versus Punjab Kings. He is unlikely to play their next game against Gujarat Titans as well as the star Mumbai batter regains match fitness.
Earlier, on Saturday, the Super Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first against SunRisers. Dilshan Madushanka came in place of Harsh Dubey, to give SRH "more swinging options".
SRH Vs CSK, IPL 2026: Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora (wk), Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
