The 44-year-old is recovering from a calf injury and was initially anticipated to return after missing the first two weeks of the tournament. However, his unavailability has now extended to nearly 25 days, leaving fans eagerly awaiting his first appearance this season.
With Dhoni still out, the Chennai Super Kings, five-time IPL champions, are feeling the pressure, currently sitting eighth on the points table with only two wins from six matches.
CSK faced a significant setback when a key player, Mhatre, was ruled out of the IPL due to a hamstring injury. Simons stated that the franchise plans to utilize the available resources for now.
“We haven’t identified any replacements at this moment,” Simons informed reporters on the eve of their IPL match against the Mumbai Indians here on Thursday.
“With our current squad, there’s still plenty of time to make a replacement known. For now, we’ll use the resources we have to form a competitive side,” he added.
After a complete training session on Tuesday, Dhoni spent considerable time in the nets facing fast bowlers and throwdown specialists on Wednesday, but it remains uncertain if the former captain will be ready for the contest.
“(Regarding) MS, we will know tomorrow… the decision will be made once he and the medical staff are fully confident that he is prepared to play,” Simons said.
Simons confirmed that Spencer Johnson has joined the squad but declined to specify when the Australian pacer would be available to play.
Indian seamer Anshul Kamboj, who has claimed 13 wickets so far this season, has in many ways been the “leader of the attack” for CSK, but Simons indicated he would not be asked to fill the gap left by Khaleel Ahmed’s exit.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Apr 23, 2026 7:04 PM IST
