Chennai Super Kings will play bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders in their fifth match in IPL 2026 on Tuesday, April 14. CSK fans are eagerly waiting for MS Dhoni’s return from injury as they eye back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Dhoni suffered a calf injury before the start of the season and was expected to miss the first two weeks of the tournament. In his absence, the five-time champions lost the first three games but managed to win against the Delhi Capitals in the last game, reviving their hopes for a strong season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled with both the bat and leadership skills and might benefit from MS Dhoni’s return to the squad. So, ahead of CSK’s match against KKR at MA Chidambaram Stadium, all eyes will be on Dhoni.
Will MS Dhoni feature in today’s CSK vs KKR game?
MS Dhoni has been present at every team practice session recently and is also doing training drills. The 44-year-old hit the nets to do batting practice a day before the KKR match, but he faced only throwdowns.
The former captain is looking full fit, but has avoided facing the next bowlers. He batted for longer hours than in previous net sessions and also hit a few big shots to excite the fans’ anticipation.
However, Dhoni didn’t bat with his tilt and skipped the keeping drills on Monday, suggesting he is still recovering and is very likely to miss the CSK vs KKR match today. So, it will be CSK’s fifth successive game without Dhoni in IPL 2026.
CSK’s likely playing XI against KKR
Chennai Super Kings took some bold decisions by dropping youngsters Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer from their starting eleven against Delhi in the last game. Dewald Brevis made his highly anticipated return, while fast bowler Gujanpreet Singh made his IPL debut.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s struggles continued at the top, but Sanju Samson returned with a quickfire century. Ayush Mhatre also got his second fifty of the season, but the rest of the batsmen didn’t get a chance to prove against DC. Dewald Brevis and Sarfaraz Khan are expected to play alongside in the middle order, and Shivam Dube will be utilized according to the situation.
At no. 7, Jamie Overton has proved his skills with the bat this season, but CSK lack batting depth in their playing eleven. Dhoni’s potential return might solve this issue. But in his absence, the management might be tempted to bring back all-rounder Prashant Veer in place of one of the fast bowlers.
However, with MS Dhoni still unavailable, the management is unlikely to tinker with their winning combination today.
CSK Predicted XI vs KKR: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre (impact player), Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivman Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjanpreet Singh/Prashant Veer.
Also read: CSK vs KKR Pitch Report
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