All eyes at the MA Chidambaram Stadium will be looking for just one man, MS Dhoni, as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) host the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for their final home match of the IPL 2026 season.
Dhoni suffered a calf injury before the start of the season. CSK’s first and only official release on the subject was about him missing about two weeks of the action.
IPL 2026 | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap
| Purple CapIt has been seven weeks since then, but Dhoni has yet to be included in a matchday squad. He returned to training after the first few days of the season itself, but he has refused to travel to CSK’s away matches, and even stayed away from the team in home games. That has caused both frustration and confusion.
CSK head coach Stephen
Fleming had indicated in the middle of the season that Dhoni suffered a setback in his recovery, which delayed his return. The team batting coach, Michael Hussey, meanwhile, has said multiple times that he’s happy with Dhoni’s batting fitness, suggesting that the issue lies in how comfortable the former India skipper, now 44, is about his running between the wickets and general athleticism.
The closest he came to playing so far was CSK booking his flight tickets for the match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow. Ultimately, though, Dhoni didn’t travel.
Will MS Dhoni play vs SRH?
Dhoni trained as usual before the match vs SRH. Local journalists have reported that he spent ample time doing batting practice. But this season suggests that that doesn’t mean much.
There’s one huge sign of him being available to play, though. Ravichandran Ashwin, India and CSK legend, recently said that he has ‘heard’ Dhoni has been fit to play for the past few games, and that he believes that this could be the match that the wicketkeeper finally makes an appearance.
“I have a feeling that against Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is a good chance of MS Dhoni playing. Let’s wait and see how it goes. As far as I have heard, he has been ready to take the field for the last two to three games,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
The time is absolutely ripe for it. Previously, CSK coaches have said that he has wanted to avoid ‘distracting’ the team by being around them when he’s not in the playing 11, while reports have indicated that he doesn’t want to disturb a successful team combination. CSK are coming off a defeat against LSG, and Prashant Veer’s spot could be used by the veteran, considering the youngster’s unimpressive form.
If it matters at all, Spencer Johnson came to the CSK press conference before the match and didn’t answer the question about Dhoni’s availability.
Will MS Dhoni retire after the match vs SRH?
We should know bout Dhoni’s playing 11 status if he travels with the team to the stadium. But that might not be some great news for his diehard fans.
Dhoni has spoken about his wish to retire at Chepauk, a place which has given him so much love, and it’s unclear whether he’d be able to sustain himself for another attempt at that in 2027. So, this match could be it for Dhoni in the IPL.
Those around him have refrained from giving a definite answer about Dhoni’s possible retirement. They say that, as is public knowledge, he keeps his cards close to the chest and doesn’t disclose such things to many.
Like every year with Dhoni, only he knows what he’s going to do on Monday.
