Chennai Super Kings talisman MS Dhoni continues to be on the sidelines as he missed out on his team’s third clash in the Indian Premier League 2026. Dhoni, who is set to miss the first two weeks of action, wasn’t part of the clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, April 5.ย
Leading into the IPL 2026, CSK had confirmed that Dhoni is likely to miss out on action for the first two weeks as he is recovering from a calf issue. The Super Kings won the toss and opted to bowl first in their clash against RCB, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad giving a major update on Dhoni’s injury.ย
What did Gaikwad say at the toss?
Gaikwad revealed that Dhoni is ‘getting back slowly’ and hoped that he would be back soon. “We will bowl first. Obviously, high scoring ground. Looks like a good pitch, there’s going to be some runs. We’ll look to restrict them as much as possible. MS is getting back slowly; sometimes it takes time. If he’s ready to play, it’ll be soon. The first game was disappointing, but our batting was much better in the second game. Everyone is feeling confident. Same team for us,” Gaikwad said at the toss.
Patidar wanted to bowl, no change for RCB
RCB also wanted to bowl first, but would have to set a strong target against CSK after losing the toss. RCB captain Rajat Patidar confirmed that there is no change in the team that won the tournament opener against SRH last week. “We were looking to bowl first, but it looks like a hard pitch, so we’re happy to bat. It’s a fresh wicket. The boys played well in the last game, and we’re looking to continue here. The way everyone played in the last game was tremendous; everyone had clarity in their role, and they are high in confidence. We’re going with the same side,” Patidar said.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy
Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact subs: Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer
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