Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey is optimistic about MS Dhoni's comeback during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The former Indian cricketer is yet to feature in the IPL 2026 as he has been recovering from a calf strain. While the right-hand batter has been having net sessions, it is unclear when he will make a return to CSK's playing 11.
After CSK faced a 10-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, Michael Hussey, speaking at the post-match press conference, said that Dhoni is progressing well in rehab and expressed satisfaction with his batting performance as a coach.
"He's progressing nicely with his rehab. And look, I'm a batting coach, and I'm happy with how he's batting," Hussey said, adding that Dhoni is batting well and is satisfied with his form.
Dhoni’s main focus is on the recovery is improving his running fitness and speed, especially for quick runs between the wickets in later stages of an innings. Hussey said that he is unsure about the exact return date but hopes Dhoni will be back soon.
"As you saw yesterday at training, he's batting well. He was very happy with where his batting is at. He's just about progressing with his running, because if he's going to bat towards the back end of the innings, he's going to have to scurry back for those twos and things like that. He just needs to get confidence in his running and build that speed up. I don't know when he'll play, but I'm hoping it's sooner rather than later, like all the fans are," the CSK batting coach said.
Coming to the SRH vs CSK match, the Sunrisers edged past CSK by 10 runs in a closely fought encounter. Batting first, SRH posted 194/9, driven by explosive half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma (59 off 22 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (59 off 39 balls).
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