Dhoni, Brevis hit the nets ahead of PBKS clash

Chennai Super Kings received a massive boost ahead of their first home fixture of the season as Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni hit the nets. While uncertainty still remains over their participation in the Punjab Kings fixture, their return to the nets bodes well for a batting unit that clearly lacked experience in its first game against Rajasthan Royals.

Dhoni was initially ruled out for the first two weeks of the season following a calf strain whereas Brevis missed the Rajasthan Royals clash with a side strain with no clear information on his return. Brevis was, however, doing short-run training in the practise session ahead of the Royals game with the team physios.

Ahead of their first match at Chepauk in IPL 2026, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad remained noncommittal about both players.

"He's taken off today, so I'm not really sure. Yesterday, we didn't have a chat," Gaikwad said about Brevis during the pre-match press conference. However, minutes after CSK kickstarted their practice session, Brevis was spotted in a separate nets facility where he batted with no visible discomfort.

When asked about Dhoni's rehabilitation progress, Gaikwad chuckled claiming an update would be provided on the 13th day given the former skipper was ruled out for a period of two weeks. But just before CSK concluded their practice session, Dhoni walked out, took throwdowns in the nets and smashed several deliveries into the stands.

In Brevis' absence, CSK handed Australia's Matthew Short an opportunity at No.4 whereas Sarfaraz Khan broke into the middle order as an impact sub. CSK have a short turnaround following the PBKS fixture as they take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday (April 5).