Top News

23

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could be in for another injury blow ahead of their IPL 2026 opener. After MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis is likely to miss the first few matches of the tournament due to a side strain, reportedly a news that will upset CSK fans and the franchise themselves to no end.

Why Dewald Brevis could miss the first couple of matches of IPL 2026?

The South African hard-hitter had replaced Gurjapneet Singh in the five-time champions’ ranks amid the 2025 edition and had a promising season, clattering 225 runs in six matches alongside a strike rate of 180 with two fifties. Brevis, who started his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians in 2022, was retained by the Super Kings ahead of the mini-auction to form an integral part of their future. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old is likely to miss the first two or three matches in IPL 2026 due to side strain, as reported by Rev Sportz.

Earlier, it was announced that Dhoni is managing his calf strain, rendering him unavailable for at least the first four matches of the lucrative tournament. Reports also indicate that the legendary keeper-batter will return to playing only in the final week of April.

Chennai Super Kings create an unwanted record in IPL 2025

For the second consecutive season, the Yellow Army could not qualify for the playoffs and finished at the bottom of the points table. Additionally, it was the first time that the Super Kings had finished at the bottom of the points table, managing only four wins in 14 matches. Although the Rajasthan Royals also had only four wins in as many fixtures, the inaugural IPL champions had a superior net run-rate.

The Super Kings will hope that the high-profile signing of Sanju Samson brings in rich returns. They will be chuffed, given the Kerala-born keeper-batter’s returns in T20 World Cup 2026, headlined by his nerveless knocks in all three knockout matches, playing an integral role in India’s historic title win. Although Samson starts off his IPL seasons strongly, his form tapers off towards the end of the season. The five-time champions will hope it is not the case this time around. Notably, the Super Kings also broke their bank for batter Kartik Sharma and all-rounder Prashant Veer, a clone of Ravindra Jadeja, shelling out ₹14.20 crore each for them.