CSK injury worries

Chennai Super Kings head to Mumbai on April 23 with another selection squeeze after Ayush Mhatre was ruled out and M.S. Dhoni remained a fitness call. (espncricinfo.com) Mhatre, 18, injured his left hamstring while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18, and Chennai said his rehabilitation will take 6 to 12 weeks. He had been used as an Impact Player in that chase of 195. (espncricinfo.com) Nathan Ellis had already been ruled out for the season on March 20 with a hamstring injury that Chennai said would need at least three months of rehab. Spencer Johnson was signed as Ellis’s replacement on March 24 and was due to join the squad between April 21 and 23. (chennaisuperkings.com) Khaleel Ahmed is also out after a quadricep injury suffered against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 14, with Chennai saying the damage will take more than 12 weeks to heal. ESPNcricinfo reported that Dhoni, recovering from a calf injury, was still training short of full intensity. (espncricinfo.com) That leaves Chennai juggling both ends of the side before a run that includes Rajasthan Royals on April 22 and Mumbai Indians on April 23 at Wankhede Stadium. The official IPL schedule then has Chennai hosting Gujarat Titans on April 24. (documents.iplt20.com) The injury list has hit the players who had been filling key gaps in this campaign. Mhatre had scored 201 runs in six matches, including two fifties, according to ESPNcricinfo and News18. (espncricinfo.com) Johnson’s arrival gives Chennai another left-arm pace option, but ESPNcricinfo reported last week that he was also still working his way back from injury before linking up with the squad. The same report listed Mukesh Choudhary and Ramakrishna Ghosh among the in-house options to cover for Khaleel. (espncricinfo.com) Dhoni’s status has been unresolved since Chennai said on March 28 that he was likely to miss the first two weeks with a calf strain. On April 13, ESPNcricinfo reported that he had returned to the nets at Chepauk but was limited to throwdowns and had not resumed wicketkeeping at full tilt. (espncricinfo.com) By the time Chennai reach Wankhede, the question is no longer just who replaces one injured player. It is whether a patched-up squad can get through three fixtures in three days with its batting and seam attack both short. (espncricinfo.com)