MS Dhoni playing tonight? Latest fitness update ahead of LSG vs CSK IPL 2026 clash in Lucknow
The latest fitness update has given a hint whether MS Dhoni, the former Chennai Super Kings captain, would feature in their IPL 2026 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow.
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Heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the million-dollar question remains whether Dhoni will feature in the encounter.
Since the start of the season, the biggest talking point regarding Dhoni has been outside the cricket field. There hasn’t been a single press conference of the Super Kings where a Dhoni-related question hasn’t been asked. And the answer from all the coaching staff of the side remains the same.
Is MS Dhoni fit for LSG vs CSK IPL 2026 in Lucknow— What the latest injury reports say
During CSK’s third fixture of the five-time champions against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, it was revealed that MS Dhoni had picked up a knee injury and would soon complete his recovery to make a strong comeback.
But the recovery wasn’t a steady one for the former Indian captain, who decided to stay back in the hotel during CSK’s games in Chennai and didn’t travel to the other cities on most occasions. The 2023 champions made a weak start to the campaign with three successive defeats before recording seven wins in the last nine clashes.
Their next game will be against Lucknow. As per the current reports, Dhoni was set to travel to the city two days before the game. But at the eleventh hour, he canceled the plan and hasn’t traveled with the team on the afternoon of May 13.
Will CSK name Dhoni in playing 11 tonight? Team selection & probable XI for Lucknow clash
Even if Dhoni makes his way into the playing squad for the contest, it’s very unlikely for the CSK side to make any changes to the playing eleven. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side is known as a team that tries to retain the same successful side after winning a contest.
In the last game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk, the home side completed the 204-run chase by five wickets with four balls to spare. The only way for Dhoni to make a comeback in the side would be in place of Prashant Veer as an impact player.
Meanwhile, he was earlier supposed to replace Kartik Sharma in the team. But the uncapped wicket-keeper batter has two 40+ scores in the last three clashes and has gained huge confidence.
Probable XI for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs LSG in IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk.), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hossein, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Veer/ Sarfaraz Khan (Impact player).
MS Dhoni’s role in CSK’s IPL 2026 campaign —Why his availability changes everything tonight
Even if Dhoni plays a game in the IPL 2026, his roles will remain the same like the last two seasons. He will come in the lower order and hardly face eight to 10 deliveries, looking to smash the big shots in the death overs. That has been his mantra since the last couple of seasons.
See Also: IPL 2026: Can Chennai Super Kings still qualify for playoffs? Full qualification scenario explained
Last year, he smashed 196 runs in 13 innings at a struggling strike rate of 135.17 with the best score of an unbeaten 30 runs. In 2024, the right-handed batter clubbed 161 runs at a blistering strike rate of more than 220.
CSK has one home game left against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and if Dhoni doesn’t play in Lucknow, then that home clash could turn out to be his farewell match.
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