The Chennai Super Kings fans' long wait to see MS Dhoni in the yellow jersey will have to continue longer as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said the iconic player "is not fit enough to play." CSK take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 18 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at Chepauk.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has seen never-ending iconic moments. But as CSK prepare to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in what is their final home game of IPL 2026, the buzz swirling around Chepauk has little to do with playoff permutations. And everything to do with one man. Oh yes, we are talking about ‘Thala' Dhoni.
Dhoni has not played a single match this season. A calf strain sustained during pre-season training in March has kept the 44-year-old sidelined for all 12 of Chennai Super Kings' games in IPL 2026.
At the toss, Gaikwad said, "MS Dhoni is not fit enough to play, but you never know if we win this and he comes for the last one Akeal comes in for Gurjapneet."
Ahead of every CSK game, the Yellow Army kept an eye on what the net session atmosphere looks like. It won't be an exaggeration to say that every non-answer from the CSK camp has been dissected by millions of fans desperate for a glimpse of their man in yellow.
Things got only amped up when former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said he has "heard" Dhoni has been fit to play for the past few games.
"I have a feeling that against Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is a good chance of MS Dhoni playing," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
According to reports, Dhoni was seen in the nets facing pacers and spinners.
The stakes, of course, go well beyond sentiment.
CSK, the five-time champions, currently sit fifth on the IPL 2026 points table with 12 points from 12 matches and a net run rate of +0.027. They need to win their remaining two games and hope other results go their way to qualify for the playoffs.
After SRH, Chennai will face the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 21. It also means tonight is the last time Dhoni could walk out in Yellow at the MA Chidambaram Stadium this season. And potentially, ever.
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Dhoni himself had once told fans at a 2021 event, "Chennai will still have the chance to bid me farewell".
Meanwhile, CSK pacer Spencer Johnson avoided giving a direct answer about Dhoni's availability during the pre-match press conference. Dhoni's inclusion, it seems, may only become clear once the team arrives at the stadium.
For now, Chepauk waits. And as it always has been with Dhoni — on his terms, in his time.
CSK Vs SRH Playing XIs
CSK: Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad.
Impact Bench: Mukesh Choudhary, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh.
SRH: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, R Smaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (Captain), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge.
Impact Bench: Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel.
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