Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Eric Simmons has revealed this ms dhoni He will take a decision himself along with the medical team on his availability for the game against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 33 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Thursday, April 23.
Simmons said that the final decision on whether Dhoni will play his first game of the new season depends entirely on him and whether he is ready to play the full game.
“The decision on him (Dhoni) will be taken tomorrow by him and the medical staff, if he is absolutely ready to go,” Eric Simmons was quoted as saying on NDTV.
Dhoni has been battling a calf injury since the start of the IPL, due to which he has missed the first six matches of the current season. However, the former captain is very close to returning to full fitness.
The 44-year-old had his first wicket-keeping session at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday ahead of the game against MI. Based on the clip shared by Chennai Super KingsAccording to the official social media accounts, Dhoni looked extremely sharp behind the stumps and even stumped in the nets session.
It is noteworthy that Dhoni has not played any professional cricket since the conclusion of last year's IPL. He played 14 times during the 2025 IPL season, with the majority of his appearances coming as captain in the absence of the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. He scored 196 runs in the tournament and dismissed 11 wickets behind the stumps, including five stumpings.
CSK desperately needs Dhoni back in the team to get their season back on track. The five-time champions have suffered four defeats in the first six matches this season and are currently eighth in the standings with four points and a net run-rate of negative 0.780.
MI, on the other hand, have the same points as their arch-rivals but are ahead of them in the table thanks to a better net run-rate.
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