MS Dhoni remains an unsolved puzzle in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. He has been attending training sessions before the matches, but is yet to play his first match for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this year.
The situation surrounding the 44-year-old became more interesting, as he was not seen on the sidelines during the matches. Why, MS Dhoni was not on the sidelines even in the last games. Ahead of CSK’s upcoming match against their arch-rivals, Mumbai Indians (MI), CSK batting coach Michael Hussey revealed why the former skipper chose not to sit in the dugout during matches.
CSK coach explains why MS Dhoni is staying away from IPL 2026 matches
Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020. Now, it is 2026, and still, and the craze for Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains unmatched. Be it a match or an event, CSK fans are always crazy to get a glimpse of the icon.
MSD himself is well aware of his huge fan following. Therefore, to maintain full focus on the team, Dhoni thought it better to stay away from the field. Hussey said that the former cricketer does not want the team’s attention to shift towards him. The coach made it clear that the decision not to enter the field during the game was entirely taken by Dhoni himself and not by the team management.
He is a team-oriented person: Michael Hussey
Mike Hussey told the media before the match against Mumbai Indians, “He’s a team-oriented guy. He always wants what’s best for the team, and he was worried that if he came, there would be too much distraction. Obviously, the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him and things like that.”
“And he really wanted the team to do its job, to do its job. Whether he is right or wrong, it is not my decision to resolve. But that is the thinking behind Dhoni not coming to the match,” he added.
The former Australian batsman pointed out that Dhoni’s presence around the dressing room is invaluable to the team as he is probably the best person in the team to guide the young talent with all his wisdom and experience.
Michael Hussey explains the importance of MS Dhoni for CSK
“Obviously, he’s been watching very closely at home. I personally love having him around the dressing room. He imparts a lot of knowledge. He imparts a lot of confidence to the rest of the guys. So he’s obviously in training all the time and always has a bubbly personality during training and imparts a lot of his experience to the players there. But it was just a case of him not wanting to see himself as a distraction to the rest of the team, and that’s why he missed the game. Decided the day away,” said the CSK batting coach.
Ahead of the match, it was reported that the Chennai Super Kings management has not taken a final decision on the availability of MS Dhoni for their important match against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium tonight.
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