Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said MS Dhoni’s return from a calf strain has been delayed after the injury worsened during a warm-up game ahead of IPL 2026.Fleming updates after CSK’s eight-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans in MA. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.Dhoni has been with the squad since March and has been seen in practice sessions and warm-up games, but has not played in any of CSK’s eight matches so far. He has not come to the ground even on match days.Fleming said the injury is a concern as another concussion could rule Dhoni out for the entire season.“The calf is a tough one,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after beating Gujarat Titans by eight wickets on Sunday. “If he dismounts and tears the calf again, he will go away. [for the whole season]. So we pushed it quickly. In the warm-up game, he tweaked it again, I understand. And since then, he’s just been working hard to get some movement into it. But there was a setback,” Fleming said during the press conference.The 44-year-old has played IPL matches in the past while dealing with injuries, but this time the recovery is taking longer than CSK expected.Four days ago, CSK also shared a video on social media in which captain Rutoraj Gaekwad explained what happened before the season.“You know, we were playing a practice match. That’s when he pulled his calf and then he couldn’t run as comfortably as he wanted to,” he said.“And I think after that, it was almost, he saw some of the young guys playing in practice games and playing in match simulations where he felt a lot of confidence in them, you know, who are ready, who have the ability to play in the IPL.”“After that, it was just a matter of time for him to recover. Little by little, he’s getting there. You never know, maybe the next game, maybe the one after that, but one day for sure.”CSK is currently sixth in the IPL 2026 points table after eight matches, with three wins and five losses.They have six league matches left this season, and their next match is at home against Mumbai Indians on May 2.
