IPL 2026: Brevis to miss CSK's opener; Dhoni also likely absent

Chennai Super Kings face an injury crisis ahead of their IPL 2026 opener against Rajasthan Royals. Star batter Dewald Brevis is out, Nathan Ellis is ruled out of the tournament, and MS Dhoni is doubtful for the first two weeks.

Major Blows for CSK Ahead of IPL Opener

Star batter Dewald Brevis will miss Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) opening Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on March 30 due to an injury, according to ESPNCricinfo.

According to the report, the development was confirmed by the Super Kings' head coach Stephen Fleming on the eve of the match. Brevis' absence will further dent their build-up to their first match against RR as they are without Nathan Ellis, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury, and veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is likely to miss the first two weeks because of a calf strain.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the five-time champions are also waiting for the arrival of Australian pacer Spencer Johnson, who replaced injured Ellis in the CSK side. Johnson is likely to join the CSK camp April 21-23.

Star-Studded Trades Mark CSK-RR Clash

CSK will be starting the season on March 30 against the 2008 champions, Rajasthan Royals, at Guwahati, with the former RR player Sanju Samson now having joined the Yellow franchise and the veteran CSK, India legend Ravindra Jadeja getting a homecoming to RR after a trade ahead of the auction. The trade also involved English all-rounder Sam Curran being traded from CSK to RR, but the pace bowling all-rounder will miss out on the tournament due to injury.

Chennai Super Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings full squad for IPL 2026: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Akeal Hosein, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry. (ANI)

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