- MS Dhoni’s IPL 2026 debut anticipated against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- Dhoni sidelined with calf strain; no official return date set.
- Sanju Samson under pressure after low batting performance.
MS Dhoni IPL 2026: The Indian Premier League is well underway with a host a exciting matches already having taken place in the early stages of the tournament. However, things look awry for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) thus far, who have been on a losing streak and are missing their former captain and biggest star, MS Dhoni. Sidelined due to calf strain, there is no official return date for him as of this writing, but as per Revsportz journalist, Rohit Juglan, Dhoni could make his first IPL 2026 appearance for Chennai against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
CSK vs SRH IPL 2026 Match Date
Chennai Super Kings will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad away from home next Saturday, that is April 18, 2026. This is when MS Dhoni is expected to return for the franchise.
Prior to that fixture though, CSK will be facing Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 11, and then the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 14.
The former can be a tough challenge for the five-time IPL champions given their current form, but the latter is expected to be an even match as both sides are yet to earn their first points of the season (KKR is winless but has 1 point due to a rain-abandoned game). These dynamics make their clash against SRH potentially crucial.
In addition to Dhoni, South African batsman, Dewald Brevis, who played an impactful cameo for the team in the closing stages of the tournament last year is also recovering from an injury and is yet to feature in an IPL 2026 match.
Spotlight On Sanju Samson
In the absence of MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, a high-profile trade from Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the season, is in the spotlight. He is handling the wicketkeeping duties, but hasn’t made any impact with the bat.
Opening the innings with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Samson has only managed 22 runs in 3 matches for CSK so far, which is quite surprising after his Player of the Tournament campaign with India at the ICC T20 World Cup just weeks before IPL began.
