As the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) gear up to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at home, in their 13th encounter of the IPL 2026 season, the questions — will MS Dhoni play or not, and will he retire, still remain. The 44-year-old veteran started the tournament with a calf injury, and it is believed wasn’t fit until two matches ago. Even though he has been seen batting in the nets, and keeping wickets for long durations, he has not been travelling with the team as well, for major part. That has only fueled speculations further.
All eyes on MS Dhoni in CSK vs SRH
In fact, according to a report in CricBlogger, Dhoni was fit for the last two encounters, but did not play, since he did not want to disturb the balance of the side. Nonetheless, there are indications he might play in Chennai’s final match at home. As per a fresh report in Sportstar, Dhoni had an extended nets session against the net bowlers.
Initially, he started with the ground shots, and then got on with the big ones. There was a period in between where he only faced spinners for 15 minutes. But then even that does not guarantee, Dhoni taking the field for the match.
Will MSD play his last in Chepauk?
Many fans fear, if Dhoni plays, it could be his last. But there is no evidence to support that fear. But then for a very long time, the entire franchise has revolved around MSD, and if the unthinkable happens, it could be a huge blow to the team. Such is his aura, even teammate Spencer Johnson couldn’t believe, as to how many had turned out just to see Dhoni.
“The number of fans that travel and come to these home games is unbelievable. I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. So, that’s probably partly to do with MS,” Spencer said. Though he remained non-committal on his chances of playing in front of his home crowd.
As far as CSK’s performance is concerned, after being hit by several injuries, and enduring a few losses on the trot, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team has done well to stay in the hunt for playoffs qualification. IN 12 matches, they have won 6 and lost as many, and have 12 points. To go to the next round, they must get to 16 at least. Simply put, they are in a must-win situation in their last two matches of the season.
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