Sports news
#CSK #IPL #Dhoni #misses #Mumbai #Indians">CSK vs MI IPL 2026: MS Dhoni misses out against Mumbai Indians The long wait for MS Dhoni’s return to action continued after the 44-year-old was not named in the starting eleven or in the impact subs at the toss against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Dhoni hasn’t played a single game this season owing to a calf injury that he picked up before the start of the season.
The CSK management has been non committal about Dhoni’s return date, with batting coach Mike Hussey stating that he’s ‘hopeful’ that Dhoni will be back as soon as possible.
“The primary concern has been his ability to sustain running intensity. He’s been working on his running speeds, which was probably the main concern. From a skill perspective, we’re very confident in his batting and wicketkeeping,” Hussey remarked on the eve of the match against Mumbai Indians.
“It was more about ensuring he can maintain good running power, especially towards the back end of an innings where quick singles and twos are crucial,” Hussey said, before adding that the final call rests with Dhoni.
Head coach Stephen Fleming had revealed earlier that Dhoni had suffered a setback during his recovery, which has delayed his return to action from two weeks to an extended period of time.
“The calf is a tough one. In a warm-up game, he tweaked it again, it’s my understanding. If he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone,” Fleming said after his side’s defeat against Gujarat Titans.
Published on May 02, 2026
The long wait for MS Dhoni’s return to action continued after the 44-year-old was not…
Sports news
#CSK #IPL #Jasprit #Bumrahs #record #Chennai #Super #Kings">CSK vs MI IPL 2026: Jasprit Bumrah’s record against Chennai Super Kings
MI’s Jasprit Bumrah has had a season to forget so far. The pace spearhead has taken only two wickets from eight matches at a disastrous average of 132.00- that average is the worst for any bowler who has bowled 25 plus overs this season.
And on Sunday, the misfiring Bumrah goes up against one of his lesser favourite opponents in the IPL- Chennai Super Kings.
The 32-year-old has an average record by his high standards against CSK, having taken only 15 wickets from 17 matches at an average of 33.20 and an economy rate of 7.58.
Bumrah had a decent outing with the ball when the two sides met at the Wankhede just over a week ago, returning with figures of 1/31 from his four overs in a match where CSK scored over 200.
At the Chepauk, Bumrah has played only two matches so far, but has a slightly better record, having taken two wickets at an average of 20.50 and an economy rate of 5.85.
As MI’s playoff chances hang by a thread, the pacer will need to rediscover his best form for his side’s fortunes starting with the match against CSK tonight.
Published on May 02, 2026
MI’s Jasprit Bumrah has had a season to forget so far. The pace spearhead has taken only two wickets from eight matches at a disastrous average of 132.00- that average is the worst for any bowler who has bowled 25 plus overs this season.
And on Sunday, the misfiring Bumrah goes up against one of his lesser favourite opponents in the IPL- Chennai Super Kings.
The 32-year-old has an average record by his high standards against CSK, having taken only 15 wickets from 17 matches at an average of 33.20 and an economy rate of 7.58.
Bumrah had a decent outing with the ball when the two sides met at the Wankhede just over a week ago, returning with figures of 1/31 from his four overs in a match where CSK scored over 200.
At the Chepauk, Bumrah has played only two matches so far, but has a slightly better record, having taken two wickets at an average of 20.50 and an economy rate of 5.85.
As MI’s playoff chances hang by a thread, the pacer will need to rediscover his best form for his side’s fortunes starting with the match against CSK tonight.
Published on May 02, 2026
MI’s Jasprit Bumrah has had a season to forget so far. The pace spearhead has…
Sports news
#CSK #IPL #Samson #Hosein #seal #comfortable #win #Super #Kings">MI vs CSK, IPL 2026: Samson, Hosein seal comfortable win for Super Kings
Sanju Samson laid the foundation by bettering his T20 World Cup semifinal heroics at the Wankhede Stadium with his second hundred of IPL 2026. And Akeal Hosein’s sensational spell sealed the deal as the marquee clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) turned into a cakewalk for the visitor on Thursday.
Samson’s fifth IPL hundred, coupled with Akeal producing arguably the spell of the season, left MI on the mat as CSK registered a thumping 103-run win. After posting 207 for six, CSK bundled MI out for 104 in 19 overs with little fuss, the chase never quite taking off.
Impact Player Akeal, drafted in for his new-ball utility, struck immediately. His first over saw MI’s Impact Player Danish Malewar edge one behind the stumps. Soon after, Quinton de Kock played on off Mukesh Choudhary — the pacer gesturing to the heavens in tribute to his mother, who passed away earlier in the week. In his next over, Akeal spun one in from leg stump to castle Naman Dhir. At 11 for three, MI was already on the ropes.
The Wankhede, packed and loud, found itself outnumbered and outvoiced by a sea of yellow. The onus fell on Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma but Akeal returned to break that resistance, sneaking one through Tilak’s defence. Alongside Noor Ahmad, he triggered a collapse — four wickets for three runs off nine balls — as MI slipped from 84 for three to 87 for seven. Shardul Thakur, on as a concussion substitute for Mitchell Santner, merely delayed the inevitable.
Earlier, Samson had ensured that CSK had a big total to defend. Ruturaj Gaikwad started briskly before falling to Allah Ghazanfar while Shivam Dube struggled for timing. The rest of the top-order maintained strike rates above 150.
Samson, watchful early, opened up with precision later. On 85 at the start of the final over, he muscled one over deep midwicket off Krish Bhagat, then, after two dots, carved a wide ball over covers. Farming strike, he finished with a pull over square leg for a one-bounce four — a flourish that helped him celebrate the milestone in style and push MI on the back foot.
Published on Apr 23, 2026
Sanju Samson laid the foundation by bettering his T20 World Cup semifinal heroics at the Wankhede Stadium with his second hundred of IPL 2026. And Akeal Hosein’s sensational spell sealed the deal as the marquee clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) turned into a cakewalk for the visitor on Thursday.
Samson’s fifth IPL hundred, coupled with Akeal producing arguably the spell of the season, left MI on the mat as CSK registered a thumping 103-run win. After posting 207 for six, CSK bundled MI out for 104 in 19 overs with little fuss, the chase never quite taking off.
Impact Player Akeal, drafted in for his new-ball utility, struck immediately. His first over saw MI’s Impact Player Danish Malewar edge one behind the stumps. Soon after, Quinton de Kock played on off Mukesh Choudhary — the pacer gesturing to the heavens in tribute to his mother, who passed away earlier in the week. In his next over, Akeal spun one in from leg stump to castle Naman Dhir. At 11 for three, MI was already on the ropes.
The Wankhede, packed and loud, found itself outnumbered and outvoiced by a sea of yellow. The onus fell on Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma but Akeal returned to break that resistance, sneaking one through Tilak’s defence. Alongside Noor Ahmad, he triggered a collapse — four wickets for three runs off nine balls — as MI slipped from 84 for three to 87 for seven. Shardul Thakur, on as a concussion substitute for Mitchell Santner, merely delayed the inevitable.
Earlier, Samson had ensured that CSK had a big total to defend. Ruturaj Gaikwad started briskly before falling to Allah Ghazanfar while Shivam Dube struggled for timing. The rest of the top-order maintained strike rates above 150.
Samson, watchful early, opened up with precision later. On 85 at the start of the final over, he muscled one over deep midwicket off Krish Bhagat, then, after two dots, carved a wide ball over covers. Farming strike, he finished with a pull over square leg for a one-bounce four — a flourish that helped him celebrate the milestone in style and push MI on the back foot.
Published on Apr 23, 2026
Sanju Samson laid the foundation by bettering his T20 World Cup semifinal heroics at the Wankhede Stadium with…
![Sanjay Manjrekar slams Dhoni fandom, CSK approach: “Sycophancy has seeped into cricket” Chennai Super Kings has endured a poor start to IPL 2026, winning just two of its first six matches to sit seventh on the points table.Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has come under scrutiny for the team’s struggles, with his own batting form also a concern. In six innings, he has managed only 82 runs.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, however, believes the CSK management must also shoulder the blame.“This blame, I’m going to put at the doorstep of the owners and people who make the big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he was captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order,” said Manjrekar on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.Manjrekar added that the overwhelming fandom surrounding CSK legend M.S. Dhoni has not helped Gaikwad’s situation.“And then that thing with M.S Dhoni, whether he’s going to be playing, whether he’s going to be captain, they handled that very badly. And this is where you see the sycophancy of Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, there isn’t just a fan following of Dhoni, there is sycophancy around it,” he added.He also recalled an incident that highlighted the intensity of Dhoni’s fandom.“There was [this] one instance of Dhoni trying to put his bat into the crease, and it was a very close call. And I said, well, he is clearly short of the crease, and it should be run out. They [fans] got angry with me for saying that because it was anti-Dhoni. So somewhere they lost sight of the whole picture.”Dhoni has not featured for CSK in IPL 2026 after suffering a calf strain in the lead-up to the season.When asked if Dhoni’s return could ease Gaikwad’s burden, Manjrekar expressed doubts about how CSK would accommodate him in the XI.“Maybe, but then you have to play Dhoni on the field. And how do you do that? I mean, increasingly, he’s finding it tough to deliver. So it was a bit of a joke when he used to come down the order and just play three or four balls. The coverage would hype that up as well – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted four balls.“So that’s not feasible anymore, and it was never going to be a long-term thing. So I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when M.S. was on the field, but not captaining, as opposed to M.S. not being there and he being solely in charge,” said Manjrekar.Manjrekar also drew parallels between CSK and Mumbai Indians, pointing to an overreliance on big-name players.“CSK and Mumbai Indians are slightly guilty of being emotionally connected and invested in the big-name, big-brand players a bit too much. CSK even more so with Dhoni. This means that you’re not getting people who are in their prime. It’s like living in the past a little bit. It’s just about getting guys who are in their prime in T20 cricket. It’s such a modern-day format, so it’s best to be current with everything that you do with your team,” he added.Published on Apr 20, 2026 #Sanjay #Manjrekar #slams #Dhoni #fandom #CSK #approach #Sycophancy #seeped #cricket](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/bgffx8/article70883769.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/IMG_IPL_2024__2__2_1_JECQPB3Q.jpg?ssl=1 "Sanjay Manjrekar slams Dhoni fandom, CSK approach: “Sycophancy has seeped into cricket” Chennai Super Kings has endured a poor start to IPL 2026, winning just two of its first six matches to sit seventh on the points table.Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has come under scrutiny for the team’s struggles, with his own batting form also a concern. In six innings, he has managed only 82 runs.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, however, believes the CSK management must also shoulder the blame.“This blame, I’m going to put at the doorstep of the owners and people who make the big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he was captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order,” said Manjrekar on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.Manjrekar added that the overwhelming fandom surrounding CSK legend M.S. Dhoni has not helped Gaikwad’s situation.“And then that thing with M.S Dhoni, whether he’s going to be playing, whether he’s going to be captain, they handled that very badly. And this is where you see the sycophancy of Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, there isn’t just a fan following of Dhoni, there is sycophancy around it,” he added.He also recalled an incident that highlighted the intensity of Dhoni’s fandom.“There was [this] one instance of Dhoni trying to put his bat into the crease, and it was a very close call. And I said, well, he is clearly short of the crease, and it should be run out. They [fans] got angry with me for saying that because it was anti-Dhoni. So somewhere they lost sight of the whole picture.”Dhoni has not featured for CSK in IPL 2026 after suffering a calf strain in the lead-up to the season.When asked if Dhoni’s return could ease Gaikwad’s burden, Manjrekar expressed doubts about how CSK would accommodate him in the XI.“Maybe, but then you have to play Dhoni on the field. And how do you do that? I mean, increasingly, he’s finding it tough to deliver. So it was a bit of a joke when he used to come down the order and just play three or four balls. The coverage would hype that up as well – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted four balls.“So that’s not feasible anymore, and it was never going to be a long-term thing. So I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when M.S. was on the field, but not captaining, as opposed to M.S. not being there and he being solely in charge,” said Manjrekar.Manjrekar also drew parallels between CSK and Mumbai Indians, pointing to an overreliance on big-name players.“CSK and Mumbai Indians are slightly guilty of being emotionally connected and invested in the big-name, big-brand players a bit too much. CSK even more so with Dhoni. This means that you’re not getting people who are in their prime. It’s like living in the past a little bit. It’s just about getting guys who are in their prime in T20 cricket. It’s such a modern-day format, so it’s best to be current with everything that you do with your team,” he added.Published on Apr 20, 2026 #Sanjay #Manjrekar #slams #Dhoni #fandom #CSK #approach #Sycophancy #seeped #cricket")
![Sridharan Sriram: “They’ve got a very good understanding” as CSK spin duo clicks; Southee backs struggling KKR For the first time since April 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was able to register two consecutive wins in the Indian Premier League (IPL).The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team secured a 32-run win over last-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to move to eighth on the points table, surpassing fellow five-time champion Mumbai Indians.At the heart of the victory were two spinners, Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein, who shared four wickets between them. In their eight-over quota, they conceded just 56 runs and picked up wickets at regular intervals to derail the KKR batting unit.Their ability to complement each other, coupled with inputs from former skipper M.S. Dhoni, fuelled the game-defining performance, feels CSK’s assistant bowling coach Sridharan Sriram.“They both communicate well, and they’ve got a very good understanding. I think today [Tuesday], Akeal was the one who went and told Noor about the length that he needed to bowl. Noor bowled a bit short in the first over, but once he found that in-between length, he was unplayable,” he said in the post-match press conference.“Even MS (Dhoni) had a long chat with him (Noor), asking him to bowl more leg breaks. It was really helpful today, and the results were there to show,” he added.One glaring issue in an otherwise perfect night for the home side was the number of catches dropped. Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Ajinkya Rahane were all given extra lives. However, they were unable to capitalise on those chances.“It is something that the fielding coach will definitely address. I think in the last game we set really high standards. So one or two misses are bound to happen, but I think we’ll bounce back,” Sriram said.Reposing faithOn the flip side, problems persist for KKR, which is languishing at the bottom of the table. One such issue that needs immediate attention is the lack of contribution from Cameron Green. With the ball, he conceded 30 in two overs, and in the chase, fell to Noor Ahmad off the very first ball.“He hasn’t performed the way he would’ve wanted, yes. But he’s a quality player, and I think he didn’t play a lot of cricket leading into the IPL. Yeah, but of all people, he would be disappointed with himself. I’m sure he’ll bounce back at some stage this season,” said Tim Southee, KKR’s bowling coach.Adding to the team’s woes, its frontline spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has failed to make an impact so far. After conceding over 12 runs per over in the previous two games, Varun was able to control the damage, going for just over 26 runs in three overs.“If you look at Varun’s record in the IPL, it’s unbelievable. When you have a record like that and have a rough outing, there will be a lot of outside noise. But looking at the success he’s had with Kolkata and India, I think he will bounce back,” Southee said.Published on Apr 15, 2026 #Sridharan #Sriram #Theyve #good #understanding #CSK #spin #duo #clicks #Southee #backs #struggling #KKR](https://i1.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/4j790v/article70863916.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/TH15-LEAD-CSK-KGEDFRQP9F.3.jpg.jpg?ssl=1 "Sridharan Sriram: “They’ve got a very good understanding” as CSK spin duo clicks; Southee backs struggling KKR For the first time since April 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was able to register two consecutive wins in the Indian Premier League (IPL).The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team secured a 32-run win over last-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to move to eighth on the points table, surpassing fellow five-time champion Mumbai Indians.At the heart of the victory were two spinners, Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein, who shared four wickets between them. In their eight-over quota, they conceded just 56 runs and picked up wickets at regular intervals to derail the KKR batting unit.Their ability to complement each other, coupled with inputs from former skipper M.S. Dhoni, fuelled the game-defining performance, feels CSK’s assistant bowling coach Sridharan Sriram.“They both communicate well, and they’ve got a very good understanding. I think today [Tuesday], Akeal was the one who went and told Noor about the length that he needed to bowl. Noor bowled a bit short in the first over, but once he found that in-between length, he was unplayable,” he said in the post-match press conference.“Even MS (Dhoni) had a long chat with him (Noor), asking him to bowl more leg breaks. It was really helpful today, and the results were there to show,” he added.One glaring issue in an otherwise perfect night for the home side was the number of catches dropped. Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Ajinkya Rahane were all given extra lives. However, they were unable to capitalise on those chances.“It is something that the fielding coach will definitely address. I think in the last game we set really high standards. So one or two misses are bound to happen, but I think we’ll bounce back,” Sriram said.Reposing faithOn the flip side, problems persist for KKR, which is languishing at the bottom of the table. One such issue that needs immediate attention is the lack of contribution from Cameron Green. With the ball, he conceded 30 in two overs, and in the chase, fell to Noor Ahmad off the very first ball.“He hasn’t performed the way he would’ve wanted, yes. But he’s a quality player, and I think he didn’t play a lot of cricket leading into the IPL. Yeah, but of all people, he would be disappointed with himself. I’m sure he’ll bounce back at some stage this season,” said Tim Southee, KKR’s bowling coach.Adding to the team’s woes, its frontline spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has failed to make an impact so far. After conceding over 12 runs per over in the previous two games, Varun was able to control the damage, going for just over 26 runs in three overs.“If you look at Varun’s record in the IPL, it’s unbelievable. When you have a record like that and have a rough outing, there will be a lot of outside noise. But looking at the success he’s had with Kolkata and India, I think he will bounce back,” Southee said.Published on Apr 15, 2026 #Sridharan #Sriram #Theyve #good #understanding #CSK #spin #duo #clicks #Southee #backs #struggling #KKR")
