Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has gone home to Ranchi and has not travelled with the rest of the CSK squad ahead of their last league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 21.

The news was confirmed by CSK batting coach Michael Hussey ahead of the GT clash. The former CSK opener revealed that Dhoni has a sore thumb and is not with the squad currently. Instead, he will join the squad if the team qualifies for the playoffs.

“I can confirm Dhoni is not here with the team, but if we do happen to qualify, then he’ll definitely join back up with the squad. He’s got a bit of a sore thumb. It’s recovering nicely, but he won’t be ready for this match. If we can manage to get through to the playoffs, then hopefully he’ll be alright,” the former Australian batter said on the eve of the GT vs CSK clash.

He also spoke about how disappointing it was to lose their last home game of the season at the Chepauk, with the team's chance of qualifying for the playoffs diminishing with that loss. CSK lost to SRHby five wickets in a crucial encounter.

“It was disappointing, especially in front of our home fans. Obviously, it’s made it difficult for us to get through to the knockouts. Everyone will take lessons from it, but we’ve got to move on quickly. We were a bit flat in the dressing room. The coach [Stephen Fleming] spoke to us about having one more game and one more chance. It’s all about having the right attitude moving forward," he continued.

Despite not playing the match against SRH, MS Dhoni was present at the Chepauk and joined the team for an official photoshoot. He was also present at the lap of appreciation held by CSK players after the match.