CSK have suffered another major blow.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Mukesh Choudhary returned home midway through IPL 2026 after a personal loss. His mother, Prem Devi, passed away on Tuesday (April 21) after a year-long battle with illness, for which she was receiving treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Consequently, Mukesh left the camp and returned to his village, Bhilwara, after hearing the news to perform the last rites of his mother with his elder brother. Hence, his participation in CSK’s upcoming clash against arch-rivals, Mumbai Indians (MI), at Wankhede Stadium tonight remains uncertain, even though he rejoined the CSK camp last night.
Reports also suggest that MS Dhoni, who himself has been out of action due to a calf strain, was in constant touch with Mukesh Choudhary and helped the pacer remain mentally strong. He even visited the hospital in Mumbai to check Mukesh’s mother’s health and get an update from the doctors.
Mukesh has played only a solitary game for CSK in IPL 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he picked up two wickets but was slightly expensive across two overs. That chance came after Khaleel Ahmed was ruled out due to a quadriceps injury he sustained against KKR in Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings have been plagued by injuries and unavailability throughout the season, with several players missing games at some stage of IPL 2026. Initially, Dhoni and Dewald Brevis, who suffered a side strain in training, were out of action, with the former yet to play a game this edition.
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Nathan Ellis was ruled out of the season due to a hamstring issue before the tournament even began. Later, Khaleel Ahmed and Ayush Mhatre, who also suffered a hamstring injury, joined the list of injury concerns for the five-time champions.
Spencer Johnson, who came as a replacement for Ellis, has yet to feature since he’s still recovering from a back stress fracture. However, he’s expected to be available for the all-important game against MI and will replace Mukesh in CSK’s XI as a like-for-like.
That would mean Matthew Short will sit out to free up an overseas spot, with Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, and Noor Ahmad as the other three foreign players in the main side. With Spencer fit to play, Mukesh’s selection remains uncertain, though a short break may not be the worst thing for him right now.
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