Before their Indian Premier League match against Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming discussed the significant influence of veteran MS Dhoni and provided a status report on the fitness of South African batter Dewald Brevis.
The Chennai Super Kings began their 2026 season with a difficult eight wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. During that contest, CSK managed to post only 127 runs before a rapid 15 ball half century from Vaibhav Suryavanshi led to their downfall. With MS Dhoni unavailable for the opening two weeks of the tournament due to a calf strain, the initial performance for the team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad was challenging. This match also marked the end of an incredible 277 game streak where CSK took the field without having either Dhoni or Suresh Raina in the lineup.
‘Still Heavily Involved’
During the pre match press conference, Fleming addressed the absence of the former captain.
“It is just a game without him. He is still heavily involved in the side, and his influence remains very strong.”
The head coach also touched upon the status of Dewald Brevis, the young South African hitter who missed the first game against RR. Fleming noted that Brevis is in the middle of a rehabilitation program and shared his optimism for a quick recovery. In the previous season, Brevis was a standout performer as an injury replacement, scoring 225 runs across six innings with a strike rate of 180.00 and recording two half centuries.
“Yes, Brevis is out and is currently rehabbing. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before he returns,” Fleming said.
The 2026 CSK squad features a combination of seasoned veterans and fresh prospects. Fleming emphasized that the coaching staff is concentrated on building early momentum in the competition.
“We have invested in youth and Indian talent, and there is real energy in the group. The first game is always a good barometer, and we are focused on starting well,” Fleming added.
CSK Predicted Playing XI
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
Sanju Samson (WK)
Ayush Mhatre
Matthew Short
Shivam Dube
Kartik Sharma
Jamie Overton
Noor Ahmad
Matt Henry
Anshul Kamboj
Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player Options: Sarfaraz Khan, Prashant Veer
PBKS Predicted Playing XI
Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
Priyansh Arya
Cooper Connolly
Shreyas Iyer (C)
Nehal Wadhera
Marcus Stoinis
Shashank Singh
Marco Jansen
Xavier Bartlett
Vijaykumar Vyshak
Arshdeep Singh
Impact Player Options: Yuzvendra Chahal, Yash Thakur
