Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have received a significant boost with the confirmation of Dewald Brevis’ return date. The five-time defending champions have endured a difficult beginning to the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, suffering an initial defeat to Rajasthan Royals followed by a home loss against Punjab Kings. These early struggles were compounded by injuries to key figures MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis, but the latter is now poised to reintroduce essential firepower to the middle order.
Brevis Nears Competitive Action
A report from Revsportz indicates that Brevis is scheduled to feature for Chennai in their encounter against Delhi Capitals on April 11. The young batsman has already reunited with the squad and was observed participating in practice sessions ahead of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) fixture. Prior to the Delhi match, CSK is slated to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 5. A side strain suffered during a training session had previously sidelined Brevis for the opening stage of the tournament.
Status of MS Dhoni
The availability of MS Dhoni remains a subject of speculation after a calf injury kept him out of the first two matches. The franchise had originally provided an update on X stating:
“MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. As a result, he is likely to miss the first two weeks of TATA IPL 2026.”
Mirroring Brevis’ progress, Dhoni has linked up with the team and was seen engaging in range hitting and light fitness exercises before the PBKS game. Although he did not undertake a full training program with the rest of the squad, his presence fueled fan anticipation for an early return. While he was not part of the XI against Punjab, all eyes are on the April 5 clash with RCB to see if the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman makes his comeback.
CSK lost both of their games in IPL 2026 till now vs PBKS and RR respectively.
Historical Context: RCB vs CSK Head-to-Head
Total Matches Played: 35
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Victories: 13
Chennai Super Kings Victories: 21
Tied Matches: 1
No Result: 0
Expected Lineups and Squad Information
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted XI:
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy.
Impact Player: Devdutt Padikkal
Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI:
Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.
Impact Player: Sarfaraz Khan or Rahul Chahar
Complete Squad Lists
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (Captain), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Satwik Deswal, Jordan Cox, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes.
