Senior wicketkeeper Batter M.S. Dhoni is expected to recover from a calf strain in the opening two weeks of IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) confirmed on Saturday, the opening day of the tournament.
The former CSK captain is currently rehabilitating from the injury, the owner said in a tweet.
CSK will begin their campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday and will face Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the first fortnight of the season.
New marquee signing Sanju Samson, who will open the batting alongside captain Ruduraj Gaekwad, is the front-runner to take on the wicket-keeping duties in Dhoni’s absence. Urvil Patel and debutant Karthik Sharma are also in the franchise as alternative options.
Samson was bought from RR in a trade that saw Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran go the other way.
Inspired by his six-hitting exploits in domestic cricket, CSK invested Rs 14.20 crore in newcomer Karthik. Urvil, meanwhile, played three matches last season and accumulated 212.50 runs.
Dhoni featured in all 14 matches last year, batting lower down the order and usually entering the crease in the final overs. He scored 196 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17, with a highest score of 30 not out.
CSK finished last in 2025 with four wins and will be looking for a turnaround this season.
The franchise also suffered a blow when Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
He was replaced by fellow Australian Spencer Johnson, Matt Henry led by Khalil Ahmed, Gurjabneet Singh, Zach Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton and Mukesh Chaudhary along with batting all-rounder Shivam Dubey.