Chennai Super Kings legend MS Dhoni missed out yet again as his team takes on Delhi Capitals in the 48th match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Dhoni has been on the sidelines ever since the start of the tournament as he has been nursing a calf injury that he picked up in the lead-up to the IPL.
Where is MS Dhoni?
Dhoni has not travelled with the CSK squad for their clash in Delhi. He has instead opted to stay in Chennai as he continues his rehab from the calf issue. Recently, CSK bowling coach Eric Simons spoke on Dhoni, stating that an update on him 'above my pay grade'.
"Update on MS Dhoni is way above my pay grade. He's not with us (in Delhi), but steadily improving. He'll be ready when he's ready, and he knows when he's ready to play," that was all Simons had to say on the team icon.
DC opt to bat first against CSK
Meanwhile, coming back to the match, DC captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bat first. Lungi Ngidi is back in the team after recovering from the neck and head injury he sustained against the Punjab Kings. "We will bat first. We’re outside the leg-stump bat first. I think the surface looks good, and we feel it’s a very good pitch. Maybe in the second innings it might slow down a bit, so I’d like to give that advantage to our bowlers. The way the tournament is going, it’s a very important match," Axar said at the toss.
"But at the same time, it’s more important to focus on how you’re playing. You can’t think too much about points - if you do, you put extra pressure on yourself. That’s what we’ve been discussing as a team, we just want to play good cricket, and the points will take care of themselves.
"We’ve lost some close matches, but if you look at the season overall, I’m happy with the wins and performances. That’s what happens sometimes, but if we talk about cricket, I’m very happy with the boys’ batting and bowling. In fielding, if we had done better, we could have been in a stronger position. One change - Lungi Ngidi in place of Kyle Jamieson.
