Kamal Ghorui
MS Dhoni will miss Chennai Super Kings‘ (CSK) IPL 2026 opener against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday in Guwahati, marking a rare absence for the wicketkeeper-batter who has been a constant presence for the team over the years.Dhoni has long been central to CSK as captain, finisher and wicketkeeper, but this match at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium will go ahead without him. His absence brings focus on the last time he missed a game and how often he has been unavailable since the IPL began in 2008.The last time Dhoni did not feature in a CSK match in IPL was during the 2019 season. He missed the April 26 game against Mumbai Indians at the M A Chidambaram Stadium due to fever, with Suresh Raina leading the side. He also sat out a match earlier that season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 17 due to a back spasm.Across his IPL career, Dhoni has missed only five matches. Monday’s fixture will only be the sixth instance of Dhoni missing an IPL match for CSK. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have played 253 total matches in the Indian Premier League (spanning 2008–2025). Three of those came in the 2010 season — against Delhi Daredevils in Delhi, Kings XI Punjab in Chennai, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru.Dhoni’s five prior misses were extremely sparse and spread across nearly a decade:2010 season (three matches):
- vs Delhi Daredevils (Delhi)
- vs Kings XI Punjab (Chennai)
- vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Bengaluru)
2019 season (two matches):
- vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (Hyderabad, April 17) – back spasm.
- vs Mumbai Indians (Chennai, April 26) – fever.
Since 2020, Dhoni has played every match he was available for, including leading CSK to titles in 2021 and 2023. He also featured in all 14 matches during the 2025 season. The only gap in his IPL participation came during the 2016 and 2017 seasons when CSK were suspended and he played for Rising Pune Supergiant.The 44-year-old is currently dealing with a calf injury and is expected to be unavailable at least until mid-April, though a return later in the month remains possible.With 278 appearances, Dhoni is the most-capped player in IPL history, and he has led a side in 235 matches, the most by any captain. His absence leaves a younger CSK side without one of its most experienced players.
