NEW DELHI: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are riding high on confidence after kicking off their IPL 2026 campaign with a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Now, an exciting southern derby between RCB and Chennai Super Kings is on the cards – undoubtedly a marquee clash.While RCB head into the contest on the back of a victory, CSK arrive with two consecutive defeats, against Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.Are CSK missing Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Is his absence hurting the side after losses in their first two matches of the tournament?The wait for Dhoni will continue. He will not feature in the playing XI against RCB either.
Why MS Dhoni will not play vs RCB?
Dhoni has been ruled out for the first two weeks due to a calf strain.“MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. As a result, he is likely to miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026. Get well soon, Thala,” CSK shared on social media ahead of their opening match against Rajasthan Royals.Head coach Stephen Fleming had earlier made it clear that while Dhoni is not on the field, his presence is still strongly felt. Fleming spoke about Dhoni’s “heavy” influence and involvement within the team.“It is just a game without him. He is still heavily involved in the side, and his influence remains very strong,” Fleming had told reporters ahead of the Punjab Kings clash.Squads:Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Dewald Brevis, Zakary Foulkes
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Who will be the standout player for CSK in Dhoni’s absence?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal
