With fresh questions swirling around MS Dhoni’s prolonged absence from IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has offered a clearer explanation for why the former captain has taken longer than expected to return. Speaking in Chennai after CSK suffered their fifth defeat of the season, Fleming said the delay is linked to a second calf setback.
Fleming’s explanation for Dhoni’s delayed return
- Fleming addressed the growing speculation over Dhoni not featuring yet in IPL 2026, saying the initial timeline was disrupted by another injury issue.
- He revealed that Dhoni had tweaked his calf again, this time during a warm-up game, which pushed the recovery process back.
- Fleming stressed the seriousness of the calf problem, noting that if the injury flares up once more after he resumes running, it could rule him out again.
- The coach added that CSK had tried to move things forward earlier, but after the warm-up setback, Dhoni has been focused on rehabilitation and regaining movement, although progress has taken longer than first anticipated.
- Fleming said Dhoni is working hard with the physio group and that the team is simply waiting for the right confirmation to bring him back.
Dhoni has been sidelined since the start of the IPL season due to a calf injury. CSK had initially communicated that he would require about two weeks to recover, but with the recovery window now stretched to roughly four weeks, there has still been no definitive update on when he will make his first appearance for Chennai in IPL 2026.
While Dhoni has continued to attend the Chennai nets, his involvement has been limited. He has been restricting himself to facing throwdowns rather than taking on a full match workload. More recently, ahead of CSK’s trip to the Wankhede Stadium earlier this week to face the Mumbai Indians, there was talk that he might return after he was spotted keeping wickets during net sessions.
However, that anticipation did not translate into matchday action. Dhoni did not even turn up at the venue on the day of the Mumbai Indians game, and he was not seen at Chepauk on Sunday during CSK’s home fixture against the Titans.
Fleming also urged people not to treat the situation lightly, describing Dhoni as the “guide” in his own recovery process. The coach said the former captain is progressing through rehab and working alongside the medical staff, but that the final decision remains dependent on his fitness updates.
CSK currently sit sixth in the points table, having lost five of their eight matches so far. The team has a five-day break before their next outing—another home game against the Mumbai Indians on May 2. Given Fleming’s comments about the calf still being a challenge, Dhoni is likely to miss that match as well.
