MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend, is yet to play a game for the franchise in the ongoing IPL 2026. Dhoni suffered a calf strain in training before the IPL 2026 began and has now missed 8 games for his team, who are 6th on the points table with 3 wins from 5 games.
While MS Dhoni has been seen with the CSK contingent during the pre-match training and practice, he has not been seen in the dressing room or in the dugout.
In order to prevent his presence from being perceived as a distraction, MS Dhoni doesn't show up at the sites on match days, according to CSK's batting coach Michael Hussey. Hussey stated that Dhoni made the final decision, even though he would have preferred to have the veteran in the dressing room on game days.
"He's such a team-oriented 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 and do our thing. Whether that's right or wrong, that's not my decision to sort of make. But that's the thinking behind Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches,” Hussey stated during a pre-match conference before the MI game.
"Obviously, he's been watching very closely back home. I personally love having him around the dressing room. He offers so much wisdom. He offers so much confidence to the rest of the guys. So, he's obviously at training all the time and always has a bubbly personality around training and offers a lot of his experience to the players there. But 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,” Hussey added.
Hussey hinted that the wait would not be much longer, despite the fact that Dhoni's upcoming IPL 2026 bow has dominated headlines every time CSK has taken the field this season.
"I don't know if it's tomorrow or maybe the next match after that, but he's progressing really well. I know he's been upping his running speeds, and that was probably the sticking point. I think we're very confident from a skill perspective with his batting and his wicketkeeping. 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 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 be ready to go. And so, we're kind of guided by him at the moment. But we're waiting. I think all of Chennai is waiting. All the fans are waiting and hoping,” Hussey noted.
CSK and MI will clash in Chennai on May 3 in a blockbuster clash.
