Chennai Super Kings (CSK) missed the services of MS Dhoni for the seventh consecutive match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the former skipper didn't made it to the playing XI against Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Dhoni was ruled out of for the first two weeks of IPL 2026 due to a calf strain on March 28. Since then, its been almost a month as Dhoni is yet to attain full match fitness, although there are no issues with how he is batting at the nets, according to batting coach Michael Hussey.
With Dhoni keeping wickets for the first time on the eve of the match, dubbed as a IPL's El Clasico, there were speculations of whether Dhoni will make a return in Mumbai. But to their disappointment, Dhoni didn't arrive at the stadium with the team. The confirmation came when Gaikwad was asked about the overwhelming reception at this part of the country.
"Yes, obviously all thanks to the legend (Dhoni) who is not here unfortunately," Gaikwad said at the coin toss. On Tuesday, Dhoni went full tilt in the training session, followed by a batting session at nets. On Wednesday, Dhoni had a short stint before taking a break and returned later on for nearly an hour to face throwdown specialists and fast bowlers.
In fact, for the first time in IPL 2026, Dhoni kept wickets at the nets and even had a crack with one of the youngsters in the camp from behind the stumps. He was also seen sharing some light moments on the field with the AI-powered IPL robotic dog and spent a few moments playing with it.
Dhoni, who is a dog lover, tried to have the dog imitate him with gestures, but there were also times when the robot couldn't.
Meanwhile, at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and asked CSK to bat first. While Mumbai Indians went with an unchanged playing XI, CSK have made a couple of changes.
MI vs CSK playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Krish Bhagat, AM Ghazanfar, Ashwani Kumar
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.