MS Dhoni ruled out of first two weeks of IPL 2026 with calf strain
Chennai Super Kings delivered the news every CSK fan dreaded on the morning the IPL season gets underway. Dhoni, 44, has picked up a calf strain and will sit out the opening fortnight of the campaign while he undergoes rehabilitation.
Which matches will Dhoni miss?
CSK's first four fixtures fall inside the two-week window. That means Dhoni is expected to be absent for the trip to Guwahati to face Rajasthan Royals on March 30, the home match against Punjab Kings on April 3, the visit to Bengaluru to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 5, and the return to Chepauk for the Delhi Capitals fixture on April 11.
If the recovery runs smoothly, the earliest Dhoni could feature is the home game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 14.
Samson or Urvil Patel to take the gloves
Gaikwad will continue as captain, as he has done since taking over the armband ahead of IPL 2024. In Dhoni's absence behind the stumps, Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel are the two options to fill the wicketkeeping role. Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup earlier this month, joined CSK via a pre-auction trade and adds serious batting depth to the middle order whether or not he keeps.
The fitness question that will not go away
The calf strain adds to the knee problems that have dogged Dhoni in recent seasons. At the ROAR 26 fan event in Chennai on March 22, Dhoni himself acknowledged his body is not what it once was. At 44, every injury layoff raises the same question about whether this will be his final IPL season, and every comeback silences those questions for another few weeks.
CSK also lost pace bowler Nathan Ellis to a hamstring injury before the season started. With Dhoni and Ellis both missing, the opening stretch of the tournament just became a proper test of CSK's squad depth.
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