Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals IPL 2026: CSK have received big boost with the return to fitness of Dewald Brevis while former captain MS Dhoni also had a long stint in nets ahead of match vs DC on Saturday.
Updated: April 11, 2026 11:22 AM IST
CSK vs DC IPL 2026: The question on every fan’s mind in the IPL 2026 is when will 44-year-old superstar MS Dhoni be seen in action? Former Chennai Super Kings captain has been sidelined from the first three matches of the IPL 2026 season due to a calf strain. There is some more bad news for Dhoni fans as the CSK veteran might be forced to miss the clash against Delhi Capitals at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday as well.
CSK, who are yet to win a match in the IPL 2026, though received a big boost with the fitness of South African youngster Dewald Brevis. The SA star was retained for Rs 2.2 crore by CSK ahead of IPL 2026 season but has missed the first three matches due to a side strain.
But Brevis will be available for Saturday’s clash against DC, as confirmed by CSK head coach Stephen Fleming. With Brevis returning to the side, one out of Kartik Sharma or Prashant Veer could be consigned to the benches. Both Kartik and Prashant had been bought for whopping price of Rs 14.2 crore each at the IPL 2026 mini auction last year.
Dhoni’s return will be delayed further although he had a lengthy stint in the nets ahead of Saturday’s match against DC. The former India captain, who was retained for Rs 4 crore as an ‘uncapped’ player ahead of IPL 2026 season by CSK, is expected to return to the playing 11 for their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders at home on Tuesday, April 14.
Axar Patel’s DC have had a fine start to their campaign in IPL 2026 season. They were highly unfortunate not to cap off a hat-trick of wins against Gujarat Titans at home earlier this week when they fell short by 1 run.
The visitors will, however, be concerned by the form of batter Nitish Rana, who was traded from Rajasthan Royals for Rs 4.2 crore ahead of IPL 2026. Rana has failed to get going since he joined the DC and could be replaced by batter Ashutosh Sharma, who was retained for Rs 3.8 crore.
Ashutosh’s addition could provide DC fire power at the end of the innings to back-up South African veteran David Miller. In the bowling department, DC will continue to miss Mitchell Starc due to injury but will be pleased by the return of T. Natarajan from injury after he was retained for Rs 10.75 crore.
“Last year, I had a collarbone injury and it was a difficult phase for me. The team management, support staff and coaches kept motivating me throughout and guided me on the kind of training I needed to do. I attended multiple camps in Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad and Dubai, and all of that helped me gain rhythm and confidence again. The support from everyone around me made my comeback easier,” Natarajan said in the pre-match press conference in Chennai on Friday.
Let the sea of Yellove wave in #WhistlePodu #CSKvDC pic.twitter.com/98u1arZH2S
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 11, 2026
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma/Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Matt Henry, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana/Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
