Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a cricketing icon and former captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has made history by missing the entire league stage of IPL 2026 due to a thumb injury. This unprecedented absence is the first time in the tournament's history that Dhoni has not played a single match for CSK, a team he has led to five IPL titles since joining in 2008. CSK's batting coach, Michael Hussey, confirmed that Dhoni would miss the crucial final league match against Gujarat Titans and did not travel with the team to Ahmedabad. Hussey hinted that Dhoni might return if CSK qualifies for the playoffs, stating, “Hopefully, if we can get through to the playoffs, he should be alright.” Throughout his illustrious IPL career, Dhoni has played 278 matches, scoring 5,439 runs at an average of 38.30. Prior to this season, he had only missed five matches, making his absence this year particularly notable.