Setback during warm-up game delays Dhoni's return

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed that MS Dhoni's return to the CSK playing XII has been delayed as a result of the former skipper tweaking his calf again. Dhoni was initially ruled out of action only for the first two weeks of the ongoing IPL as a result of a calf injury. However, it's been almost a month since the tournament began with CSK already playing eight times with Dhoni not featuring in any of them.

Speaking to the media after their fifth loss of the season, Fleming confirmed that Dhoni tweaked his calf during a warm-up game. "He's pretty keen," the coach said on Dhoni's much-awaited return. "The calf is a tough one though, if he takes off and rips the calf again, then he will be gone. So we pushed it early, in the warm-up game he tweaked it again, it's my understanding, and since then he has been just working hard to get some movement into it, but there was a setback, so it has taken longer than we thought."

Dhoni has been regularly seen batting in the nets though where he predominantly faces only throwdowns. The question over his participation has dominated headlines ahead of CSK's recent fixtures. On Saturday (April 25), he was seen sprinting around alongside the physio before batting in the nets again where he faced spinners, and throwdowns from batting coach Michael Hussey.

"He is the guide on this one, and he's working hard with the physio and doing all the rehab, and we're just waiting for the word really," Fleming added further on Sunday. "But all I can keep saying is stop making light of it, as he is progressing and doing everything he can."

With five losses in eight games, CSK sit sixth in the points table. They have a five-day break now before taking on rivals Mumbai Indians at home on May 2.