CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad gives crucial update on MS Dhoni's IPL 2026 comeback

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has shared an update on MS Dhoni’s return ahead of their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Dhoni, who is close to turning 45, has been dealing with knee and back issues for a while now. Recently, he picked up a calf strain, which is likely to keep him out for around six matches. Earlier, the CSK management had already confirmed that he was recovering from an injury and would miss the start of the season.

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Gaikwad on MS Dhoni's injury

Speaking at the toss before the RCB match, Gaikwad said Dhoni is slowly getting back to fitness and the team is waiting for him to be fully ready.

"MS is getting back slowly, sometimes it taks time, if he's ready to play, it'll be soon. The first game was disappointing, but our batting was much better in the second game. Everyone is feeling confident. Same team for us," Gaikwad said.

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CSK vs RCB toss

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain won the toss and opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and both teams are featuring with unchanged playing XIs.

CSK vs RCB playing XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed..

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy.