The Chennai Super Kings seem to be enduring a tough period in IPL 2026 having registered only 2 victories in 6 matches. Their cause has not been helped by several injuries that the team has sustained which has resulted in numerous changes in both batting order and bowling attack. The Chennai team has been bereft of the services of Khaleel Ahmed and MS Dhoni which have been impacting their team balance. Dhoni, due to calf muscle strain has not played any games this season whereas Khaleel is out for the whole tournament. The recent loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad necessitated yet another alteration in the bowling attack of CSK, as Akeal Hosein was replaced by Matthew Short while the new ball was taken up by Mukesh Choudhary. The strategy failed as SRH registered 194/9 batting first. Though Ayush Mhatre started off with a 30 of 13 balls, CSK could only muster up 184/8 in their response. Also Read | IPL 2026 Points Table: PBKS Tighten Grip on Top Spot; Orange & Purple Cap Race Heats Up Mid-season trials commence as Mhatre's injury adds pressure on CSK CSK have now embarked on mid-season trials in order to find suitable backup players. Akash Madhwal has already appeared for trials in Hyderabad while reports suggest Rajvardhan Hangargekar also appearing in trials at Mumbai. Both players are likely to be picked based on how they perform in the nets. The injury to Mhatre now adds further pressure to the struggling CSK team. The young batter acquired a hamstring injury during the pursuit of a second run versus SRH, he completed the run before succumbing to the injury and was helped off the field by the physios. It is feared that he would miss out on a few games for which his diagnosis would clarify over time. Stated the batting coach Michael Hussey after the match: "Obviously it is a hamstring tear. I don't know how bad it is. They will scan him tomorrow, or the next day I'm not sure. But yeah, looks pretty bad, unfortunately. He's going to be a big loss, because he's been in really nice touch for us." There is yet no update on Dhoni's availability as the legend has been sidelined with injury throughout this season so far but indications are that he will make his return for either of the games against Mumbai Indians or Gujarat Titans. CSK will then proceed to face Mumbai in an away game at Wankhede Stadium in an effort to climb up the table.