Chennai Super Kings’ batting mentor Michael Hussey made the club’s position clear on Thursday: once MS Dhoni is fit to return from his calf problem, he will not be brought back merely to bat as a specialist under the Impact Player framework. Instead, Hussey stressed that Dhoni’s comeback will be as the wicketkeeper—an expected return to his traditional duties behind the stumps—after the veteran missed yet another IPL match due to the injury that has disrupted his schedule in the ongoing season.
The 44-year-old sat out his seventh consecutive IPL 2026 game when CSK played Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni’s calf issue first sidelined him for a period beginning March 28, and while the timeline had suggested he might be back sooner, his recovery has taken longer than initially hoped. With Sanju Samson and Kartik Sharma available as wicketkeeping options in the squad, there was also some chatter that Dhoni could return purely as a batter, using the Impact Player rule to manage his workload and limit his exposure on the field.
That idea was quickly dismissed by Hussey, who indicated that the calf fitness—not the skill set—is the deciding factor. “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 said during a mid-match conversation with the broadcaster. He added that the team is confident about Dhoni’s capabilities as a wicketkeeper as well as his batting quality. “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 added.
Dhoni’s ongoing absence has remained one of the defining storylines surrounding CSK games, and it was acknowledged again around the time of Thursday’s contest. At the toss versus Mumbai Indians, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad referenced the gap left by Dhoni’s unavailability, remarking on the crowd’s reception while thanking “the legend (Dhoni) who is not here unfortunately,” highlighting how much his presence matters beyond the on-field role.
Even with no call-up to the playing XI yet, Dhoni has continued to show signs of progress. Ahead of the match, he took part in wicketkeeping work during the nets—his first such session of the season—offering a glimpse that the recovery is moving in the right direction. However, he was still not selected for the match, meaning he has now missed half of CSK’s games so far in the tournament.
When asked for an update, Hussey said Dhoni is improving but not at the stage where he can be considered match-ready. “Yeah, he’s progressing really well. I know he’s pushing hard to get back as quickly as he possibly can. I know all the fans want to see MS Dhoni out there playing as well. So we’re hopeful maybe in the next few games. We want him back as quickly as he possibly can as well,” Hussey said. He also pointed out that Dhoni’s batting looks sharp in training, but the final step is building the confidence to run hard between the wickets. “But obviously he needs to be close to 100 per cent ready to give his best. Because he’s been batting well on the nets. He looks good in the nets. Just needs to run hard between the wickets too,” Hussey added.
CSK will now shift their focus to their next assignment against Gujarat Titans in Chennai on Sunday.
