Why did MS Dhoni miss RR vs CSK clash of IPL 2026?
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CSK retained MS Dhoni for IPL 2026.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are clashing in the 3rd match of the Indian Premier League 2026. The RR vs CSK encounter is taking place at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on March 30 (Monday).
Ahead of IPL 2026, CSK and RR carried out one of the biggest trades in the tournament’s history. Sanju Samson parted ways with Rajasthan and joined CSK, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were transferred to RR.
RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to field first. Notably, MS Dhoni was absent from CSK’s playing XI for the encounter. The Super Kings retained the wicket-keeper batsman for another season.
Why is MS Dhoni not part of the RR vs CSK clash?
Dhoni has been ruled out of the tournament for the first 2 weeks due to an injury. The veteran batter suffered a calf strain during the pre-season training. He is undergoing rehabilitation in Chennai and did not travel with the team to Guwahati for the opening game.
The CSK management had informed that Dhoni would miss the first two weeks of the tournament due to the injury. However, some media reports also claimed that Dhoni would be out of the field till the end of April.
Meanwhile, Samson has been given the wicket-keeping duties against RR. He will also open the batting with Ruturaj Gaikwad.
CSK Playing XI: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.
RR Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma.
Why did MS Dhoni miss the RR vs CSK clash?
Dhoni has been ruled out of IPL 2026 for two weeks due to a calf strain he sustained in the pre-season training sessions.
Who is the captain of CSK in IPL 2026?
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain of CSK in the tournament.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.