New Delhi: When will MS Dhoni play? Will he present today? What is the status of his injury? These questions are dominating social media, with CSK fans eager to see their superstar in action. Dhoni is yet to play a match this season due to a shin injury and the topic came up again when Chennai Super Kings Bowling coach Eric Simmons Addressing the media ahead of the IPL 2026 clash between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.Simmons said that Dhoni has not traveled for the away fixture against Delhi Capitals, although he is steadily improving.More than half of the season completed, CSK is set to play its 10th match in what has been a great campaign. As has been the case every season since his international retirement, the 44-year-old Indian great’s future in the IPL has been rife with speculation.In the pre-match chat, it was hardly surprising that the first question was about Dhoni, who has been batting in the nets recently.“Update on MS Dhoni Way above my pay grade. He is not with us (in Delhi), but is steadily improving. He’s going to be ready when he’s ready, and he knows when he’s ready to play,” Simmons had to say on the team’s icon.Talking about the bowling unit, Simon was full of praise for Anshul Kamboj, who has impressed at all stages and is the joint-highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps.“Anshul went, Anshul you see it’s not this season, he started last year. The things we worked on, he went into the domestic season and worked on different angles of the crease to be more precise with our yorkers in particular. We introduced round the wicket, which is no secret now.”“There’s a lot of nuance to what we’re doing around the wicket that makes him particularly effective. He’s taken wickets as well as limited the run-rate. But I think his professionalism, the way he trains,” Simmons said.“If you stand with me and see the way he trains, the way he understands what he’s going to do, the simplicity I talk about, the clarity I talk about, I think a bowler in the modern game needs to be clear about what he wants to do. He’s very clear about his strategy, and he’s very clear about what his field setting is. There is no gray area for this,” Simmons added.With four wins from nine matches, CSK find themselves in a must-win situation in the remaining five league games. They arrived in Delhi after a comprehensive win over Mumbai Indians. Simmons believes his team can still make the playoffs from here.“There’s been a bit of a gap between the top four and the rest, but our fate is still in our own hands and we know we can beat any team in the league. So if we keep playing to our potential, there’s no reason why we can’t top the table. When we play well, we look really unbeatable,” he said.
