3 min readApr 27, 2026 12:39 PM IST
Even as the suspense over when MS Dhoni would play in IPL 2026 continues, former India off-spinner and Dhoni’s CSK teammate Ravichandran Ashwin has hinted that the 44-year-old would play only if the team is out of the running for the Playoffs.
The 39-year-old felt there did not seem to be a clear reason for the five-time IPL champions to bring Dhoni into the side, with their qualification chances still intact.
“If CSK gets out of the tournament, then MS Dhoni might play. CSK are still in the tournament, so why will they take the risk now? I still feel that CSK have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. But yeah, it is difficult. The way CSK have played in the last five matches, it has given them a little confidence. CSK’s bowling is firing, if their batting fires, they can put together three wins on the bounce,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Head coach Stephen Fleming had said that Dhoni had “tweaked” his calf during one of the warm-up matches and was working hard with the physio and doing all the required rehab.
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“The calf is a tough one, though. If he takes off and rips it again, then he will be gone. We pushed it early, and in the warm-up game he tweaked it again, it’s my understanding. Since then, he has just been working hard to get some movement into it, but there was a setback, so it has taken longer than we thought.”
“He is the guide on this one, and he’s working hard with the physio and doing all the rehab, and we’re just waiting for the word. All I can say is stop making light of it, as he is progressing and doing everything he can,” Fleming said on Sunday after CSK’s loss.
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CSK lost to Gujarat Titans by eight wickets in Chennai on Sunday and Ashwin felt that if the five-time champions had to put themselves in contention for the Playoffs, they would need to win four of their next six matches.
“If CSK has to stay in the tournament, they have to win the next game. If you can win against MI, you can be back in the mid-table muddle. All of the matches CSK have remaining, they will be playing on good batting wickets, and even Ruturaj is back in form. Winning four of six matches is not that hard,” he added.
