MS Dhoni’s return to IPL 2026 further delayed? CSK coach drops shocking revelation

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Five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are having a mixed season so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as they registered their fifth defeat on April 26, which came against Gujarat Titans (GT). While only a few players have stood up for them, the side seems to have been missing veteran wicketkeeper-batter and former skipper MS Dhoni’s guidance.

It is to be noted that MS Dhoni was initially ruled out for at least two weeks after suffering a calf strain just prior to the start of the tournament.

New Update on MS Dhoni

While he was speculated to return for the game against GT on Sunday, he sat out. Dhoni, despite being labeled fit has reportedly decided not to disturb the team combination.

Although, the 44-year-old has been continuously training with the team under the guidance of the medical staff and physios, but CSK head coach Stephen Fleming shared fresh updates following their 8-wicket defeat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Fleming revealed that Dhoni has tweaked his calf again in his ‘understanding’ but is keen to make his return.

“The calf is a tough one, though, if he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone. So we pushed it early, in the warm-up game, he tweaked it again, it’s my understanding, and since then he has been just working hard to get some movement into it, but there was a setback, so it has taken longer than we thought,” Fleming said.

Stephen Fleming on MS Dhoni:

“He’s pretty keen. The calf is a tough one though—if he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone. So we pushed it early. In the warm-up game, he tweaked it again,

it’s my understanding, and since then he has been working hard to get… pic.twitter.com/KCibwPgMqN

— Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) April 26, 2026

MS Dhoni’s return to IPL 2026 continues to delay with calf struggles

Speaking of the veteran cricketer, who continues to feature in the cash-rich league despite calling time on his international cricket years ago, has been struggling with fitness majorly. While he was initially ruled out for two weeks starting from March 28 due to a strain in the calf, he continues to be sidelined, thus missing the first 8 games for the first time in IPL history.

Although, fans are eagerly waiting for his return, a “second injury” statement from Fleming comes as a surprise. The former New Zealand cricketer also added that Dhoni will take the final call on his return while adding, “he is progressing and doing everything he can.”