Will Dhoni play vs DC? CSK coach's blunt 'above my pay grade' reply goes viral

NEW DELHI: When will MS Dhoni play? Will he feature today? What is the status of his injury? These questions continue to dominate social media, with CSK fans eager to see their superstar in action. Dhoni is yet to play a game this season due to a calf injury, and the topic once again surfaced when Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Eric Simons addressed the media ahead of the IPL 2026 clash between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. Simons said Dhoni has not travelled for the away fixture against Delhi Capitals, though he is steadily improving.

More than half the season is done, with CSK set to play their 10th match in what has been an underwhelming campaign. As has been the case every season since his international retirement, there is intense speculation around the future of the 44-year-old Indian great in the IPL. In the pre-match interaction, it was hardly surprising that the first question was on Dhoni, who has been batting in the nets recently. "Update on MS Dhoni is way above my pay grade. He's not with us (in Delhi), but steadily improving. He'll be ready when he's ready, and he knows when he's ready to play," that was all Simons had to say on the team icon.

Speaking about the bowling unit, Simons was full of praise for Anshul Kamboj, who has impressed across all phases and is the joint highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps. "Anshul went away. Anshul you see today is not this season, he started last year. The things that we worked on, he went into the domestic season and worked on different angles of approach to the crease to be more accurate with his yorkers in particular. We've introduced round the wicket, which is no secret now.

"There's a lot of nuances to what we're doing around the wicket that make him particularly effective. He's picked up wickets and been able to restrict the run rate as well. But I think what it really boils down to is his professionalism, the way that he trains," Simons said. "If you stood next to me and watched the way that he trains, the way that he understands what he's going to do, the simplicity I spoke about, the clarity, I think in the modern game a bowler needs to be clear about what he wants to do. He's very clear about his tactics, and he's very clear about what his field setting is. There's no grey area for him," added Simons.

With four wins from nine matches, CSK find themselves in a must-win situation for the remaining five league games. They arrive in Delhi after a comprehensive win over Mumbai Indians. Simons remains confident that his side can still make the playoffs from here.

"There has become a bit of a gap between the top four and the rest, but we still have our destiny in our own hands and we do know that we can beat any team in the league. So if we keep playing to our potential, there's no reason why we can't be on the top of the table. When we play well, we look really unbeatable," he said.