Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that MS Dhoni can return to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) only if the team is out of the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs.CSK have won just three of their eight matches so far in the IPL 2026 season, but there is no clear update on Dhoni’s return yet.Dhoni has been dealing with a shin injury since the start of the tournament. He was expected to make a comeback in CSK’s last match against Gujarat Titans, but it didn’t happen. Ashwin, who was part of the CSK squad last season, shared his view on his YouTube channel and said that the franchise would not want to take any risks as long as they are still in the playoff race.“If CSK is out of the tournament, MS Dhoni can play. CSK are still in the tournament, so why would they take the risk now? I still think CSK have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. But yes, it is difficult. The way CSK have played in the last five matches has given them a bit of confidence. CSK’s bowling is going, if their batting is on fire, they can make it three wins on the bounce,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.Earlier, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming also said that Dhoni’s injury is so serious that the team cannot take him back.Fleming explained that Dhoni could miss the rest of the season if he returns too soon and re-injures the calf.“The calf is very tough, though. If he takes it off and tears it again, he’ll be gone. We pushed him early, and in the warmup game he tweaked it again, I understand. Since then, he’s just been working to get some movement back into it, but there was a setback, so it took longer than we thought.“He’s the leader on this, and he’s been working hard with the physio and doing all the rehab work, and we’re just waiting for word. All I can say is stop highlighting him, because he is progressing and doing everything he can,” Fleming said after CSK’s loss on Sunday.Ashwin also said that CSK should concentrate on their next match against Mumbai Indians and try to win the remaining games.“If CSK is to stay in the tournament, they have to win the next game. If you can win against MI, you can be back in the mid-table mess. CSK have all the matches left, they will be playing on good batting wickets, and Rathoraj is also back in form. Winning four out of six matches is not that difficult,” he added.
