Is MS Dhoni Playing Tonight in the CSK vs KKR IPL 2026 Game at Chepauk Stadium?

April 14, 2026: Chennai Super Kings picked up their first win of IPL 2026 in their last match. Now they will face Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. The match is very important for both teams as CSK are trying to build momentum, while KKR are at the bottom of the table and need a strong comeback.

There is huge attention on MS Dhoni and whether he will return for this match. Dhoni has not played in IPL 2026 so far because of a calf injury. At the start of the tournament, CSK had already confirmed that he would be unavailable for the first two weeks. That period is now over, so fans are eagerly waiting for his return. However, as of now, he has still not been officially cleared to play against KKR.

Dhoni is training, but his return is still not confirmed

Dhoni has recently started training with the CSK squad again ahead of the match. The 44-year-old veteran is working closely with the support staff and medical team to regain full fitness. Even though he is training, reports confirm that he is still not fully match-ready, and the final decision on his return has not been made.

In his absence, new signing Sanju Samson has been handling wicketkeeping duties for CSK in all matches so far. Samson is expected to continue in that role until Dhoni is fully fit and returns to the playing XI. CSK has also missed Dhoni’s experience in key moments, and the team has struggled to find full balance without him.

Rahul Bhai, who got you smiling like that? 💛#WhistlePodu #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/EHdc3p7T2q

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 13, 2026

Earlier reports suggested that Dhoni might miss a significant part of IPL 2026 due to his injury. He also missed the high-profile clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru. His absence has been clearly felt as CSK have not been at their best in the early stage of the tournament.

Looking ahead, CSK’s next matches after KKR are against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18 and then Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 21. If Dhoni’s recovery continues without any setback, there is a strong chance that he could return in one of these upcoming matches.

An official update on Dhoni’s availability is expected during or after the CSK vs KKR match. Fans are closely watching every development as they wait for the legendary captain’s return to action.

Dhoni’s IPL career stats remain outstanding. He has scored 5,439 runs in 242 innings at an average of 38.30 and a strike rate of 137.45 in 278 matches. He has 24 half-centuries and a highest score of 84 not out. He is currently the sixth-highest run scorer in IPL history.

In the previous IPL season, when CSK finished at the bottom of the table, Dhoni scored 196 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.50, with a strike rate above 135 and a best score of 30 not out.

The squads for the CSK vs KKR match are also confirmed:

Kolkata Knight Riders squad includes Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Prashant Solanki, Varun Chakaravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana, Umran Malik, and Daksh Kamra.

Chennai Super Kings squad includes Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry, Ramakrishna Ghosh, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, and Zakary Foulkes.