Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin said CSK veteran MS Dhoni might make himself available for selection only when the franchise gets knocked out of the ongoing IPL 2026. Dhoni hasn’t yet played a single game in the ongoing season as he is recovering from a calf strain.

Recently, CSK’s assistant coach Michael Hussey revealed Dhoni will take back the gloves from Sanju Samson if he returns to the playing XI. However, there hasn’t been any update regarding Dhoni’s return to action.

Meanwhile, CSK suffered an eight-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday. This was CSK’s fifth loss of the season after eight games.

“If CSK gets out of the tournament, then MS Dhoni might play. CSK are still in the tournament, so why will they take the risk now? I still feel that CSK have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. But yeah, it is difficult. The way CSK have played in the last five matches, it has given them a little confidence. CSK’s bowling is firing, if their batting fires, they can put together three wins on the bounce,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin backed CSK to stay in the playoffs race by winning their next few games.

“If CSK has to stay in the tournament, they have to win the next game. If you can win against MI, you can be back in the mid-table muddle. All of the matches CSK have remaining, they will be playing on good batting wickets, and even Ruturaj is back in form. Winning four of six matches is not that hard,” Ashwin said.

CSK will need to be more consistent and get the positive results in their upcoming matches. Chennai Super Kings will next take on Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium on Saturday.