New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday, March 30. The five-time IPL champions will be without their legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni for their season opener.
The former captain has been ruled out for the first two weeks of the tournament due to a calf strain, but recent reports suggest that he might miss as many as six matches. His absence is a massive blow for the Chennai-based franchise.
Sanju Samson will make his CSK debut, who was traded in from RR last year. He will open the innings with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and is expected to take the wicketkeeping duties in Dhoni’s absence. CSK finished at the bottom of the standings last season and will look to make a great start. Ahead of the clash, here are the possible replacements for Dhoni in CSK’s playing XI.
Urvil Patel
Urvil is leading the race to replace the former CSK captain in the playing XI. He was signed by the franchise as a replacement for Vansh Bedi last year, who suffered a ligament tear and was ruled out of the season. He played three matches in IPL 2025, scoring 68 runs at a strike rate of 212.50, and was retained by CSK ahead of the auction. Overall, he has scored 1425 runs in 57 T20s at a strike-rate of 179.47.
Kartik Sharma
The 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has impressed with his six-hitting ability. He trained with CSK last year and impressed the franchise’s management, leading them to spend Rs 14.20 crore to sign him. He represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket and has scored 334 runs in 12 T20s at a strike-rate of 162.92, smashing two fifties.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan last appeared in the IPL during the 2023 season for Delhi Capitals. He has scored 585 runs in 50 IPL matches at a strike rate of 130.58. Overall, Sarfaraz has smashed 1517 runs in 81 innings at a strike rate of 139.43, and can bat as a finisher.
CSK’s probable XII: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Matt Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj.