IPL 2026, KKR vs CSK Today Match: Chennai Super Kings continue to be without MS Dhoni for their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, as the veteran wicketkeeper-batter remains sidelined due to injury.
Dhoni, who has not featured in the tournament so far, had initially been ruled out for the first two weeks of the season. Although that period has passed, he has not yet received medical clearance to return to competitive action.
The 44-year-old has been training with the squad ahead of the match at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, but his workload has been carefully managed by the team’s support staff. He is yet to resume full-intensity practice, including wicketkeeping duties, indicating he is not match-ready.
In Dhoni’s absence, Sanju Samson has taken over wicketkeeping responsibilities for Chennai Super Kings and is expected to continue in the role until Dhoni returns.
Earlier reports suggested Dhoni could miss a significant portion of the IPL 2026 season. Chennai’s upcoming fixtures include matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18 and Mumbai Indians on April 21, which could serve as potential return windows if his recovery progresses without setbacks.
An update on Dhoni’s fitness is expected in the coming days as Chennai Super Kings monitor his recovery closely.
Toss Update
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field. Kolkata made one change to their lineup, bringing in Varun Chakravarthy in place of Navdeep Saini, while Chennai remained unchanged.
Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI):
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI):
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Substitutes
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs:
Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs:
Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry