MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL Photo)
New Delhi: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are high on confidence after kicking off their IPL 2026 campaign with a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Now, an exciting south derby between RCB and Chennai Super Kings is on the cards – undoubtedly a major clash.While RCB heads into the competition with a win, CSK arrives with two consecutive defeats, against Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.Are CSK missing Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Will his absence affect the team after losing the first two matches in the tournament?Donnie will continue to wait. He will not feature in the starting XI against RCB as well.
He watches
Stephen Fleming on CSK’s revamp, bowling pressure and influential player base
Why MS Dhoni Won’t you play against RCB?
Dhoni was ruled out for the first two weeks due to a calf strain.“MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation due to 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 although Dhoni was not on the field, his presence was still strongly felt.
Fleming spoke of Dhoni’s “heavy” influence and involvement within the team.“It’s just a game without him. He’s still very involved in the team, his influence is still very strong,” Fleming told reporters ahead of the Punjab Kings match.the difference:Chennai Super Kings squad: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Aayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dubey, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Vir, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapanet Singh, Akhil Hossain, MS. Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Chaudhary, Orville Patel, Aman Khan, Dewald Previs, Zachary Foulkes
reconnaissance
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 Bethel, Raseekh Salamdar, Kanishk Chauhan, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood. Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal