MS Dhoni\u2019s delayed appearance for Chennai Super Kings on the field has been linked to him pushing himself too hard during a pre-season training match, where he aggravated a calf issue that was already giving him trouble.<\/p>\n
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming explained the situation after the franchise suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans on Sunday. \u201cThe calf is a tough one,\u201d Fleming said. \u201cIf he goes for a burst of pace and the calf is torn open again, then he\u2019s likely to be out for the entire tournament. That\u2019s why we held him back early. My understanding is that during a warm-up match, it got tweaked again. Since then, he\u2019s been putting in a lot of work to restore some movement, but there was a setback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dhoni has been part of CSK\u2019s setup since March, and there has been no shortage of footage from social media showing him taking part in practice matches and net sessions. Still, he has yet to feature in any of CSK\u2019s eight league games so far, and he has not been seen at the venue on match days either. The 44-year-old has previously played IPL seasons despite injuries, but this calf problem is taking longer to settle than CSK had expected.<\/p>\n
Fleming, however, stressed that the team is staying patient with their veteran wicketkeeper-batter. \u201cThat said, he\u2019s the one in charge of his own process here,\u201d Fleming added. \u201cHe\u2019s working hard with the physio and going through the rehab sessions. We\u2019re just waiting for the right signal. And what I can keep saying is that this isn\u2019t being treated lightly\u2014he is progressing and doing everything the plan requires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruturaj Gaikwad provided an update on Dhoni as well, sharing the latest information through CSK\u2019s social media channel. In the post dated April 22, 2026, Gaikwad said, \u201cRutu shares the latest on MSD!\u201d<\/p>\n
Four days prior, CSK\u2019s social media account had carried a message in which the captain outlined how Dhoni\u2019s calf issue began during the pre-season. \u201cYou know, we were playing a practice match. That\u2019s when he snapped his calf and wasn\u2019t able to run the way he wanted to,\u201d Gaikwad explained. \u201cAnd I think after that, it was about watching the youngsters in practice games and in match simulations\u2014seeing that they were ready, and that they had the ability to play in the IPL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaikwad further said recovery time was the key factor in Dhoni\u2019s absence. \u201cAfter that, it was just about taking time with his recovery. Slowly, slowly, he\u2019s getting there. You never know\u2014maybe next game, maybe the one after that, but definitely one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
With eight matches played so far, CSK sit sixth in the points table, having won three games and lost five. The team has six league fixtures remaining in IPL 2026, with their next match scheduled at home against Mumbai Indians on May 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MS Dhoni\u2019s delayed appearance for Chennai Super Kings on the field has been linked to him pushing himself too hard during a pre-season training match,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Dhoni Calf Update: Fleming on CSK Training Return","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Stephen Fleming confirms MS Dhoni\u2019s calf setback delayed CSK training return, explaining how a rushed burst of pace could worsen the injury.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n