Anil Kumble says MS Dhoni is training hard to regain fitness, including wicketkeeping drills. However, he believes Dhoni may not rejoin the playing XI to avoid disrupting CSK's winning combination and momentum ahead of their IPL 2026 match.
Legendary cricketer Anil Kumble believes MS Dhoni is working hard to regain full match fitness ahead of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday afternoon, but feels the great player may still avoid returning to the playing XI to maintain the team's momentum.
Speaking on Star Sports, JioStar expert Kumble said the Super Kings are known for backing a settled combination and avoiding unnecessary changes during winning runs. "CSK are the kind of side that don't like their winning streak to end. They don't tinker much with their winning combination, and they believe in backing their players," Kumble said.
Dhoni's Training and Kumble's Analysis
The former India captain revealed that Dhoni has been actively training behind the scenes and has even resumed wicketkeeping drills during practice sessions. "Now, MS Dhoni has been batting a lot in the nets. He has even been practising wicketkeeping in net sessions, which is very surprising because he is someone who never keeps wickets in the nets," Kumble added.
The legendary spinner said Dhoni appears determined to regain complete fitness but suggested the legendary cricketer may choose not to alter a successful team combination. "Dhoni is doing that and trying his best to return to full match fitness. But even if he manages to regain the required fitness levels, I feel he will not want to come into the playing XI because CSK are doing well," Kumble said.
"He will not take the chance of disrupting the team's momentum and the player combination that has helped them win," he added.
Squads
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, MS Dhoni, Matt Henry, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Shreyas Gopal, Shivam Dube, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Akash Madhwal, Aman Khan, Zakary Foulkes, Prashant Veer.
Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, George Linde, Josh Inglis, Anrich Nortje, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari. (ANI)
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