Ahmedabad: The Chennai Super Kings are refusing to concede their season just yet, a stance underscored by batting coach Michael Hussey’s latest update regarding the availability of veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni.

Hussey addressed Dhoni's immediate playing status on Wednesday, on the eve of Chennai's critical, must-win Indian Premier League fixture against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

“I can confirm Dhoni is not here with the team, but if we do happen to qualify, then he’ll definitely join back up with the squad. He’s got a bit of a sore thumb. It’s recovering nicely, but he won’t be ready for this match. If we can manage to get through to the playoffs, then hopefully he’ll be alright,” Hussey said.

Hussey acknowledged the collective frustration within the clubhouse following the team's recent defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“It was disappointing, especially in front of our home fans. Obviously, it’s made it difficult for us to get through to the knockouts. Everyone will take lessons from it, but we’ve got to move on quickly. We were a bit flat in the dressing room. The coach [Stephen Fleming] spoke to us about having one more game and one more chance. It’s all about having the right attitude moving forward,” Hussey added.

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Gujarat Focuses on Execution

For the Gujarat Titans, opening batsman Sai Sudharsan emphasised that his squad’s primary objective remains securing a victory, noting that the players will evaluate the margin of success and its impact on their Qualifier 1 prospects only after the match concludes.

“We are not in a position to think about winning by a very big margin. It’s about doing the right things consistently,” Sudharsan said.

When asked to analyse the team's prior victory over Chennai in their initial regular-season meeting, balanced against Gujarat's recent loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sudharsan dismissed the relevance of past outcomes.

“I’m not looking at the previous games. We are not bringing in that residue or that past into this match. We are trying to be as fresh as possible,” Sudharsan explained.