MS Dhoni has recovered from injury but the Chennai Super Kings veteran is willingly denying his comeback in order to not disturb the team combination ahead of the IPL 2026 match against Gujarat Titans, according to a report by The Indian Express. Dhoni, who suffered a calf strain, has not played a single match for his franchise this season despite attending net sessions in the past week, The report claimed that Dhoni successfully completed his fitness test but he is reluctant to take the sport of a youngster and ‘disturb the combination in the last couple of fixtures. While the CSK middle order has not performed quite well this season, the decision to make a comeback reportedly lies completely with Dhoni.
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey on Thursday made it clear that whenever MS Dhoni returns from his calf strain, he will resume duties as a wicketkeeper and not feature merely as an impact player.
The 44-year-old missed his seventh straight game in IPL 2026 in Thursday’s clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, as he continues to recover from the injury that initially ruled him out for two weeks on March 28.
There had been speculation that Dhoni could return as a specialist batter using the Impact Player rule, especially with Sanju Samson and Kartik Sharma available as wicketkeeping options.
However, Hussey dismissed that possibility, indicating Dhoni would be back in his usual role behind the stumps.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure he’ll be behind the stumps. The biggest thing for him is that he’s had the calf injury, it’s just the running and late in innings, if he comes in, having to scamper those ones and twos, he just needs to make sure the calf is strong enough to withstand that,” Hussey told the broadcaster during a mid-match interview.
“But certainly from a skill perspective, we know what he can do as a keeper. We know he’s batting, he’s batting really well, so it’s just hopefully getting that confidence in the calf,” Hussey said.
Dhoni’s absence has remained a constant talking point around CSK matches.
