Ravichandran Ashwin has confirmed that MS Dhoni will not return for the IPL 2026 match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians due to a calf injury. Fans had hoped for his comeback, but Ashwin suggests he is unlikely to play.
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NEW DELHI: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has ruled out MS Dhoniās return for Chennai Super Kingsā big IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Dhoni has not played a single game this season because he is recovering from a calf injury, and fans were hoping he would finally return for one of the tournamentās biggest rivalries.
Earlier, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey had said Dhoni was āpretty closeā to returning, which raised excitement among supporters.
However, Ashwin feels the former India captain is unlikely to feature in the match. He also believes Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, may continue to remain unavailable.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, āI donāt know about Rohit Sharma, but Dhoni wonāt play 100 percent, I donāt think so. He can surprise as well because heās that kind of guy, but I donāt think Dhoni will play.ā
He further added, āI think Rohit will also not play, but it is a good chance for Suryakumar Yadav to come back in form because heāll not get a better wicket for batting.ā Ashwin believes the Chepauk pitch could be excellent for batting, giving struggling batters like Suryakumar a strong chance to regain confidence.
Apart from discussing injuries, Ashwin also shared his thoughts on Chennai Super Kingsā batting order. He said CSK should continue giving Sarfaraz Khan a fixed role at No. 3 after Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of the tournament because of injury.
According to Ashwin, Sarfaraz has been one of Chennaiās best performers this season and deserves stability in the lineup.
āI am saying just one thing, Chennai should lock Sarfaraz Khan to No. 3. Donāt keep him in impact because he has been your best batter this season apart from Sanju Samson. So, fix him at No. 3,ā Ashwin said.
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No, MS Dhoni will not play in the IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians due to a calf injury.
MS Dhoni is recovering from a calf injury, which has kept him out of all matches this season.
Rohit Sharma is also unlikely to play in the match as he is recovering from a hamstring injury.
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