Chennai Super Kings have been dealt another injury setback ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026, with Dewald Brevis set to miss the opening matches of the campaign. The development comes as a fresh blow for CSK, who are already without MS Dhoni for the initial phase. As per reports, Brevis has been ruled out of the first two to three games due to a side strain, weakening the team’s middle order at the start of the season. Brevis was retained for INR 2.20 crore after an impressive showing last year. The South African batter scored 225 runs in six matches at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180.0, including two half-centuries. He also featured in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where he made 207 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 146.80 for South Africa national cricket team, before their semi-final exit against New Zealand national cricket team. Meanwhile, Dhoni is set to miss at least the first two weeks of the tournament after suffering a calf strain during training, leaving CSK short of an experienced wicketkeeper-batter early on. The injury concerns do not end there. Earlier, Australian pacer Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the entire season with a hamstring injury and has been replaced by Spencer Johnson. Despite these setbacks, CSK will kick off their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, the side will be aiming to bounce back from a disappointing previous season where they finished last with just four wins in 14 matches. The team is also expected to unveil a new opening pair, with Gaikwad to partner Sanju Samson, who joined the franchise via a trade deal involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. With key players unavailable at the start, CSK will need to quickly find the right balance as they look to begin their IPL 2026 journey on a strong note.
