MS Dhoni missing all of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) matches so far in IPL 2026 has been a major talking point around the five-time champions. More so since they are falling behind in the playoffs race without their talisman.
What has also been an interesting subject among fans and experts is Dhoni’s absence on CSK’s match days.
The 44-year-old is currently rehabbing for a calf injury. It was initially said he would miss only the first two weeks of the tournament, but now he has missed over a month of action.
The former CSK skipper has also, and to the surprise of many, remained absent from the CSK dugout during his team’s matches.
MS Dhoni has been training and having batting net sessions with the CSK squad. However, his absence from CSK’s dressing room on match days has been conspicuous.
Batting coach Mike Hussey has revealed that it is Dhoni’s decision. On the eve of CSK’s upcoming clash against rivals Mumbai Indians (MI), CSK vs MI, Hussey explained that Dhoni understands his presence would attract all the eyeballs and camera lenses; he doesn’t want to be a distraction and hence chooses to stay in the hotel.
Hussey said, “He’s such a team-orientated guy. He always wants what’s best for the team, and he was worried that if he came, there’d be a bit too much of a distraction. Obviously, the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him and things like that. And he really wanted the team to just be able to go about their job, do our thing. Whether that’s right or wrong, that’s not my decision to sort of make. But that’s the thinking behind with Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches.”
“…it was just a case he didn’t want to see himself as a distraction to the rest of the team, and that’s why he decided on game day just to sort of stay away.”
CSK vs MI: When will MS Dhoni play?
Will MS Dhoni play on Saturday against MI? That is the question the CSK fans dearly want an optimistic answer to. Well, Hussey kept his cards with himself, offering a diplomatic answer.
Hussey said Dhoni is “progressing really well” with his calf injury, but the decision remains with Thala himself to assess his fitness, especially when it comes to sprinting between the wickets.
The Australian asserted, “I don’t know if it’s tomorrow or maybe the next match after that, but he’s progressing really well… But it was just making sure that he could maintain good running power, particularly towards the back end of an innings where he’s going to have to scamper those ones and twos. So as soon as he’s got the confidence in his calf, then I’m sure he’ll give it the tick to ready to go.”
CSK have earned only six points from eight matches, and their hopes of playoffs qualification are really slim given that all the teams in the top five have 10 or more points, with the top 4 having 12 or more points each.
But they would feel confident walking into Saturday’s match against MI since they beat MI by 103 runs less than 10 days ago in Mumbai.
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