The much awaited Kohli-Dhoni reunion has taken a massive hit with the news of MS Dhoni having picked up a calf injury at the beginning of the season. The development comes as a major setback for the southern derby fans who had been anticipating another face-off between the IPL veterans. With Dhoni now set to be absent during the early run of the 2026 season, the iconic Chennai vs Bengaluru clash would now miss its historic rivalry.
Dhoni to miss CSK vs RCB clash at Chinnaswamy
MS Dhoni has suffered a calf injury and has been advised to take a 15-day break at the start of the tournament. The CSK vs RCB match scheduled for 5th April 2026 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will now be played in the absence of MS Dhoni. For the first time in the history of the IPL, Bengaluru would be hosting a match against CSK without a Kohli and Dhoni reunion.
MS Dhoni reportedly picked up the injury just days before CSK was about to begin their 2026 campaign and has been advised to take a 15 days break during the IPL, resulting in him missing many major matches of this season. In his absence, Sanju Samson is rumoured to be keeping wickets for the Chennai team. Samson was traded from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings in exchange for Jadeja, suggesting the management’s transition to a younger team. Jadeja will be making his home-coming with his debut team, the Rajasthan Royals, this season.
Fans of both Dhoni and Kohli can hope to see the reunion of their favourites only if both teams qualify for the playoffs, as they do not have any match against each other post April 5th.
RCB are coming into this tournament after winning it the previous year. They will play their first match against SRH on March 28 in the presence of their home crowd. Rajat Patidar will continue as the captain for the winning team with Jitesh Sharma as the Vice-Captain. Meanwhile, the T20 winner Ishan Kishan would be the stand-in captain for SRH until Pat Cummins joins the team mid-season and Abhishek Sharma is named as the vice captain.
