Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are hopeful of MS Dhoni travelling to Lucknow for the upcoming IPL 2026 match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), scheduled for May 15 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. According to Cricbuzz, the CSK management has ‘booked Dhoni’s ticket’ on a commercial flight, along with the rest of the squad members, though that doesn’t confirm he’d play a part in the match.
Dhoni picked up a calf injury in a training session before the season began. He was initially supposed to be ruled out for the first two weeks of the season, but it has been almost two months, and he has yet to play a match this season. He hasn’t travelled for any of CSK’s away matches, and even for the Chennai games, he has refused to be a part of the match-day
squads, in an apparent attempt to avoid distractions for the team.
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The report said that there’s a ‘growing sense of anticipation’ that Dhoni could play one or more matches in the remainder of the season. While the match against LSG could be the start of that, he’s not confirmed to travel, with CSK open to the possibility of the legendary former skipper changing his mind at the last minute.
Why is Dhoni avoiding CSK?
There are several aspects to Dhoni being missing in action this year. Firstly, Stephen Fleming has indicated that the wicketkeeper suffered a ‘setback’ in his recovery, which delayed his return.
Then, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey has said it multiple times that Dhoni has been fit enough to bat for a long time, but there are other things like general athleticism and running power where he’s still not ‘confident enough’ to play.
Finally, there have been hints from the CSK management and some reports that Dhoni is conscious of slotting himself into the team’s playing 11 and disturbing a winning combination — currently fifth in the points table — in the business end of the campaign.
