Will MS Dhoni finally return for CSK on Saturday vs MI or will fans have to wait longer for his IPL 2026 debut?

Will MS Dhoni finally play a match for the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday? Will Dhoni's first bow in the Indian Premier League 2026 take place at the Chepauk? CSK's batting coach, Michael Hussey, has revealed that the wait is set to end soon, but then again, it may not end in the IPL's El Clásico.

Mumbai Indians, who lost to CSK by 103 runs on 23 April, travel to Chennai for the latest edition of the storied rivalry, and suspense continues on Dhoni's availability, who has not played a single game so far in IPL 2026 due to a calf strain.

Will Dhoni play in CSK vs MI match?

Hussey has revealed that Dhoni is waiting to strengthen his calf before playing any match for CSK, and that he is close to his return, but that may not happen against MI.

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"I don't know if it's tomorrow or maybe the next match after that but he's progressing really well," Hussey said. "I know he's been upping his running speeds and that was probably the sticking point. I think we're very confident from a skill perspective with his batting and his wicketkeeping. But it was just making sure that he could maintain good running power particularly towards the back end of an innings where he's going to have to scamper those ones and twos.

"So as soon as he's got the confidence in his calf then I'm sure he'll give it the tick to ready to go. And so we're kind of guided by him at the moment. But we're waiting. I think all of Chennai's waiting. All the fans are waiting and hoping."

Why Dhoni miss CSK matches?

In Dhoni's absence, CSK has won three of their matches and sit in seventh place in the IPL 2026 points table. Dhoni has not been present in the stadiums on matchdays, and Hussey has revealed that while personally he would want the former India captain to be around, his absence is triggered by the belief that it would help cut down unnecessary media attention.

"He's such a team-orientated guy," Hussey pointed out on Friday (May 1) ahead of CSK's crucial clash against MI. "He always wants what's best for the team and he was worried that if he came there'd be a bit too much of a distraction. Obviously the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him and things like that. And he really wanted the team to just be able to go about their job, do our thing. Whether that's right or wrong, that's not my decision to sort of make. But that's the thinking behind with Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches.

"Obviously he's been watching very closely back home. I personally love having him around the dressing room. He offers so much wisdom. He offers so much confidence to the rest of the guys. So he's obviously at training all the time and always a bubbly personality around training and offers a lot of his experience to the players there. But it was just a case he didn't want to see himself as a distraction to the rest of the team and that's why he decided on game day just to sort of stay away."