MS Dhoni virtually ruled out of MI vs CSK match, Michael Hussey clueless about IPL return

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey doesn’t have a clue when MS Dhoni will return to competitive cricket. Out with a calf injury, which he sustained during pre-season training for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Dhoni’s comeback keeps getting pushed back.

Comeback keeps getting pushed back

Initially, it was reported that Dhoni would be out for 2 weeks. This meant he would miss 4 matches for CSK. That number was quickly increased to 6 games. New reports suggested that the wicketkeeper won’t be fit for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match on April 18 but could feature against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 23.

MS Dhoni during a practice session for CSK | Image Credit: Seshadri Sukumar/ZUMA Press Wire via Alamy

But he travelled to Hyderabad for the game. This meant that Dhoni would be fit, if not for that game, then in the near future, because he hadn’t travelled with the team to any matches prior. Well, it turns out that wasn’t an indication of anything. Dhoni isn’t expected to feature in the IPL’s El Clásico, the CSK vs MI match.

No MI vs CSK match for Dhoni?

After the SRH game, Hussey has clearly stated that he doesn’t know how long Dhoni will need to recover from his calf injury. “Not really, I’m not sure (how long Dhoni will take to recover). If the physio is sitting here, maybe he could answer that,” Hussey told reporters in Hyderabad.

Although one month seems like a long enough duration for someone to recover from a calf injury, one can’t forget that Dhoni isn’t young. He’ll turn 45 in July. It’s natural that he needs more time to be back at his physical best. Dhoni or the CSK management doesn’t want to rush things.

He doesn’t bat for long nowadays. In IPL 2025, he batted just 11.15 balls per match. But he needs to be at his absolute best to come finishing games for CSK. Not just hitting fours and sixes, he needs to run hard as well. Hussey isn’t sure Dhoni can do that right now. From the looks of it, he’s out of the MI vs CSK match.

“But look, he’s progressing nicely with his rehab, and I’m happy with how he’s batting. It’s just about progressing with his running, because if he’s going to bat towards the back end of the innings, he’ll need to be able to run quick singles and twos. He just needs to build confidence in his running and improve his speed. I don’t know when he’ll play, but I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later, like all the fans,” he added.

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