Nobody really knew what Monday night at Chepauk was supposed to be. A regular IPL game? A painful Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeat? Or the beginning of the end for MS Dhoni? The crowd stayed back long after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) sealed the win, mostly because MS Dhoni was still there, walking slowly around the stadium in yellow.
It was CSK’s last home game and Dhoni has always mentioned that he would play his last game at Chepauk. There was anticipation. Some hoped he would play the CSK vs SRH game, as he travelled with the team and practised for hours a day before. But he wasn’t on the team sheet. He was seen on the ground, shaking hands with everyone.
Chepauk already had that farewell atmosphere. CSK had lost again; their play-off hopes were hanging by a thread, and Dhoni, dressed in yellow but still unable to play because of his calf injury, walked around the stadium with the squad during the lap of honour. The crowd stayed back. Phones came out. People just wanted one last glimpse. The camera was always on Dhoni, who met his old friend Suresh Raina, who revealed something interesting.
Raina still believes MS Dhoni could return
Speaking on Star Sports after the game, Raina shared details of his conversation with Dhoni during the lap around the ground. The former CSK batter joked that IPL 2026 should not count as Dhoni’s farewell season because he did not play a single game.
“I told him ‘you have given IPL 2026 a missed call. It won’t count. You have to come back next year’. He said ‘nahi yaar, body thoda waisa hai (my body is a little weak)’,” Raina revealed. That one sentence instantly became the talking point of the night.
Even after Dhoni’s honest admission about his body, Raina insisted there is still hope for IPL 2027.
“I said ‘we are not believing anything. You have to play next year’. It’s his personal call. I think he is positive. The team is also gelling well again.” Raina also said Dhoni did not completely shut the door. “Fans also want you to come. He said ‘let me see’. If he says let me see, there’s a chance he will work hard, and play again.“
That “let me see”, is probably enough to keep CSK fans dreaming for another year. But reality feels harsher now.
Dhoni missed the entire IPL 2026 season with a calf injury that simply never healed enough for competitive cricket. CSK coach Stephen Fleming had earlier admitted that Dhoni desperately wanted to return, but every comeback attempt had to be handled carefully because another setback could have ended things completely.
A strange IPL season without Dhoni on the field
This season felt different from the very beginning. For nearly two decades, Dhoni has been the face of CSK. Even during difficult seasons, his presence behind the stumps gave Chennai stability. In IPL 2026, there was only rehab, speculation and waiting.
CSK battled injuries all season. Jamie Overton, Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre and Nathan Ellis all spent time out injured. Yet somehow, the biggest absence still remained Dhoni’s. Perhaps, Sanju Samson’s signing didn’t let CSK miss Dhoni on the field as Samson strengthened Chennai in the best way possible.
