MS Dhoni missed Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 home clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday in Chennai, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad confirming the former India skipper was not fit enough to take the field. The Chennai captain said Dhoni’s availability was ruled out ahead of the final home match of the campaign, after the wicketkeeper-batter had already been sidelined earlier in the season due to a calf issue.
Dhoni ruled out due to fitness concerns
Gaikwad explained at the toss that Dhoni remained with the team but could not play. The CSK captain also pointed to Dhoni’s recent injury history, stating that the 42-year-old had been absent from Chennai’s playing XI throughout the season after suffering a calf strain and that he reportedly picked up a fresh injury before this particular match.
- Dhoni did not feature in any IPL 2026 game for CSK so far due to a calf strain.
- He reportedly picked up another injury ahead of the match against SRH.
- Gaikwad said Dhoni is “still here” with the squad, but not fit enough to play in this fixture.
Toss: Gaikwad opts to bat after SRH decision
Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chennai. In his comments, he highlighted the team’s intent to set a competitive target, noting that the surface looked a bit dry and that CSK wanted to post a strong total. He also referenced the previous game against MI, saying it was not the ideal kind of wicket to bat on.
Gaikwad’s message was to keep things straightforward and play with intent. He added that the plan is to “keep it simple” and stated that CSK were aiming for a solid score, even with Dhoni unavailable.
CSK make one enforced change; Cummins backs his XI
Chennai Super Kings brought one alteration to their lineup from the previous match. Akeal Hosein came into the side in place of Gurjapneet Singh.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins, after the toss, reacted to the situation with confidence and focus on their tournament situation. He spoke about the need for the team to qualify and mentioned that they had a short break before this game. Cummins also underlined the nature of T20 cricket and IPL, saying teams must commit to a specific style even if it doesn’t work every night, and that CSK’s approach for this match would still be something to expect.
Cummins said the mood within the group has been positive and that their brand of play is meant to stay aggressive. He also indicated that bowling might have been an option depending on conditions, but added that SRH were not too upset with the toss result.
- CSK made one change: Akeal Hosein replaced Gurjapneet Singh.
- Cummins said SRH are aiming to build on a short turnaround of roughly six days.
- He stressed that T20 success requires backing a consistent approach, even when it varies match to match.
Playing XIs for CSK vs SRH
Here are the squads named for the IPL 2026 match in Chennai:
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge.
- Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson.
