Dewald Brevis has been ruled out of Chennai Super Kings’ first IPL 2026 match, away to Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on 30 March, after pulling up with a side strain at training. Head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the news on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a mild strain but the medics feel another week or so of rest is sensible,” Fleming said. “We’d rather miss one game now than half a season later.”
The blow leaves CSK even lighter than they would like. Fast bowler Nathan Ellis, signed at last year’s auction, is already out for the whole campaign with a back problem, while MS Dhoni’s calf strain is expected to keep him on the sidelines for at least a fortnight. Spencer Johnson, brought in for Ellis, is still finishing rehab in Perth and is pencilled in to join the squad around 21-23 April.
Fleming conceded the timing is “awkward”, though hardly disastrous. “We knew Nathan wasn’t going to make it, we suspected Spen might be a touch late, and we’ve planned around MS possibly missing the first two or three matches. Dewald was the curve-ball.”
Brevis was retained after a lively cameo last season: 225 runs in six innings, 17 sixes, strike-rate 180, most of them from the No. 5 slot. With him out, Australian all-rounder Matt Short, who linked up with the squad on 22 March, is the likeliest middle-order option.
Short kept the discussion simple. “If they need me, I’m ready,” he said after the indoor nets. “My role is to hit gaps, push the tempo, bowl a few overs if the skipper fancies it.”
The other talking point is what happens in Dhoni’s absence. CSK spent INR 14.2 crore each on Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer at December’s auction, and both youngsters are now genuine debut options. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has already confirmed he will open with Sanju Samson, leaving Nos 3-6 fluid. Sarfaraz Khan and Urvil Patel round out the batting possibilities.
Former India seamer Ajit Agarkar, on commentary duty this season, put it bluntly: “Last year CSK won only four matches because their middle overs fizzled out. If Brevis is missing and Dhoni isn’t there to finish, somebody has to own those twelve-odd overs.”
CSK finished bottom in 2025 – an uncommon position for a franchise used to play-off cricket – and there is a quiet determination to reset quickly. Whether that reset starts on Sunday without Brevis, Ellis, Dhoni and Johnson remains the open question, yet Fleming sounded a pragmatic note.
“This league never gives you the perfect XI. You make do, you adapt, you move on. That’s pretty much the job description.”
