The 44-year-old has been recovering from a calf strain and was initially expected to return after missing the first two weeks of the tournament. However, his absence has now extended to nearly 25 days, leaving fans waiting longer for his first appearance this season.
With Dhoni still sidelined, Chennai Super Kings, five-time IPL champions, find themselves under pressure, currently placed eighth on the points table with just two wins from six matches.
CSK suffered a big blow when an in-form Mhatre was ruled out of the IPL due to a hamstring injury and Simons said the franchise wants to use the available resources for now.
“We haven’t got any replacements in mind at the moment,” Simons told reporters on the eve of their IPL contest against Mumbai Indians here on Thursday.
“With what we have in the squad, there’s plenty of time left for a replacement to be made and to be known. But at the moment we’re going to use the resources we have to pull a side,” he added.
After having a full training session on Tuesday, Dhoni spent a considerable time in the nets facing pacers and throwdown specialists on Wednesday but it remains to be seen if the former skipper would be available for the contest.
“(Regarding) MS, we will know tomorrow.. that decision will be made once he in particular and the medical staff are completely happy that he is ready to go,” Simons said.
Simons confirmed that Spencer Johnson has joined the squad but refused to say when the Australian pacer would be available to play.
India seamer Anshul Kamboj, who has taken 13 wickets so far this season, has been in some ways the “leader of the attack” for CSK but he would not be asked to fill in the void created by the exit of Khaleel Ahmed, Simons said.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published:Â Apr 23, 2026 7:04 PM IST