Chennai Super Kings head into their sixth Indian Premier League 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad with morale boosting back-to-back wins, lifting them to 8th place with 2 victories in 5 matches. Meanwhile, SRH sit in 5th place with 2 wins and 3 losses, showing flashes of brilliance but lacking consistency. But the big question heading into this mid-table battle on April 18, Saturday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Satdium remains, will MS Dhoni return to the XI for CSK, and will Pat Cummins be available to lead SRH today? Check below
MS Dhoni – Not Playing Today
MS Dhoni has travelled with the squad to Hyderabad and is back training, but his availability for today’s game still looks doubtful. Head coach Stephen Fleming kept things vague, only saying, “He is progressing well,” without giving any clear timeline. As things stand, it appears unlikely that Dhoni will feature in this match, with a possible return expected closer to April 23 against Mumbai Indians.
Pat Cummins – Not Playing Today
After clearing scans in Sydney that confirmed Pat Cummins lumbar stress injury has healed. He returned to India on April 17. However, the team coach Daniel Vettori confirmed he will miss today’s game and the next (April 21) to build workload, targeting an April 25 return against Rajasthan Royals.
Spencer Johnson – Not Playing Today
The Australian pacer, signed for 1.5 crore INR by the Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for Nathan Ellis, is still finishing rehab for a back injury. He is expected to join the squad around April 21–23.
Khaleel Ahmed – Ruled Out
Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of IPL 2026 after suffering a Grade 2 quadriceps tear during CSK’s match against KKR on April 14. The injury occurred while bowling and was later confirmed as a serious muscle tear. With a recovery time of 10–12 weeks, his season has effectively come to an end.
Brydon Carse – Ruled Out
Brydon Carse pf SRH has been ruled out of IPL 2026 after suffering a serious hand injury during a nets session, which caused swelling and affected his grip. Despite no fracture, he was sidelined on April 14. Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed Dilshan Madushanka as his replacement for 75 lakh INR.
David Payne – Ruled Out
David Payne of SRH has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2026 season due to a persistent ankle injury, having featured in just the first two matches. He picked up 2 wickets on debut against RCB but went wicketless against KKR.
Payne himself was an injury replacement for Jack Edwards earlier in the season. Sunrisers Hyderabad have now signed South African pacer Gerald Coetzee for 2 crore INR as his replacement moving forward.
SRH vs CSK Predicted Playing XIs:
SunRisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora (wk), Harsh Dubey/Liam Livingstone, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, Jamie Overton/Matt Henry, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary
