MS Dhoni misses out yet again as Chennai Super Kings take on Gujarat Titans in their eighth match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 26. CSK are looking to maintain the momentum they have built over the last few games, while GT are aiming to bounce back after two back-to-back losses.
As the Super Kings take on the Titans at Chepauk, Dhoni’s name was, as usual, absent from the teamsheet for the clash as GT opted to bowl first. It is now well known that Dhoni is recovering from a calf injury that he picked up in the build-up to the IPL 2026. Both teams made one change, with CSK bringing in Urvil Patel and the Titans droppingย Prasidh Krishna for Arshad Khan.
MS Dhoni ‘progressing well’: Fleming
Meanwhile, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming had told reporters on the eve of their clash against the GT that MS Dhoni is ‘progressing well’, as has been the update in the past few matches. “How can I forget MS [Dhoni]? He is progressing well. He is on the road to recovery and doing everything that’s being asked of him,” Fleming said of Dhoni.
The former CSK captain was seen doing sprints in the practice session ahead of their GT game, which suggests he might be very close to playing a game.
Dhoni has passed fitness test, not playing due to team combination
Meanwhile, a report in the Indian Express stated that Dhoni has passed the fitness test but is not playing as he does not want to disturb the CSK combination, which has now seemingly begun to fire. After starting the season with three consecutive losses, CSK have bagged three of the next four games, which have given them some hope for a playoff spot. Dhoni might return in place of Kartik Sharma, the Rs 14.2 crore buy, who is yet to fire but is touted to be a big hitter. CSK are giving him the rope, considering he is one for the future.
GT ask CSK to bat first
Coming back to the match, GT captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first. “We’re gonna bowl first. It looks like a good wicket. On a wicket like this, it’s good to have a total on the board. (On the afternoon heat) Actually, not that bad. A good bit of breeze going on, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too tough on our bowlers,” Gill said at the toss.
“It’s a bit on the drier side and more often than not, it will remain the same, so we’re batting first really well and wouldn’t mind putting on the score again and defend it. The confidence is high looking at the margin of the runs that we won the last game. But again, this game starts fresh, starts from zero. We have to start assessing how the pitch is, bat accordingly, and then try and defend it,” CSK skipper Gaikwad said at the toss.
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