Will MS Dhoni play CSK vs KKR clash in IPL 2026 latest fitness update revealed

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), after three successive defeats in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, finally earned a victory against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and hope to continue the success as they prepare to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders KKR) at home.

However, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side hasn’t got the services of their former captain and veteran wicket-keeper batter, MS Dhoni, so far in this competition. It was noted before the start of the tournament that Dhoni would miss the first couple of weeks of the competition due to his recovery from the knee injury. 

Dhoni undergoes fitness assessment ahead of crucial KKR clash

MS Dhoni has been training with the Super Kings, but that has come only in facing throwdowns and is yet to hit full tilt. On the eve of their home clash against Kolkata, he had a short hit in the nets towards the end of their training under lights. But once again, he limited himself to facing throwdowns from the support staff.

Their batting coach, Mike Hussey, gave him a few short balls on the practice pitches as the ball climbed on Dhoni. When the ball landed in Dhoni’s grab, most of the time he whipped them over the mid-wicket region for a strong boundary. He ended the three-hour-long training session around 9 in the evening, but didn’t keep wickets.

See Also: Watch: “Can’t smash…”- Babar Azam responds to his strike rate criticism during PSL 2026

The 44-year-old is likely to sit out of the KKR contest. He hasn’t travelled with the team for their away games in Guwahati and Bengaluru. He isn’t even travelling to the ground on the match days at Chepauk. CSK perhaps planned for this as they bought Rajasthan wicket-keeper, Kartik Sharma, for a massive price of INR 14.20 crore in the mini-auction.

In the past, he settled into the role of facing 10-12 balls towards the end of the innings. His strike rate in 2023 was 182 and went up to 221 in 2023. But last year, he played 145 balls, which was more than the combination of 2023 and 2023, but he struggled with a strike rate of 135.

The Super Kings hope Dhoni will be part of the IPL 2026 towards the back end of the event. They have currently won one out of four and are second from bottom on the points table.