Chennai Super Kings will stage their last home outing of IPL 2026 in Chennai on Monday, hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The five-time champions remain in the playoff hunt, with one league match still to follow after this fixture. Yet, despite the season moving on, MS Dhoni has still not travelled with the squad to the venue—an absence that has fuelled fresh debate about whether the 44-year-old will appear at Chepauk.
Dhoni’s IPL journey this year has been shaped by injury concerns. A calf strain kept him out during the opening two weeks of IPL 2026, and he later was reported to have suffered the same problem again. At different points thereafter, some reports suggested he had returned to fitness but preferred not to disrupt the team’s settled combination.
A new development has now added another layer to that storyline: an update has claimed that Dhoni is expected to travel with the team for the final home match, although it is considered unlikely that he will take his place in the playing XI. The same report also stated that Dhoni picked up a thumb injury during a training session, describing it as a fresh issue for the veteran. It further noted that the thumb problem occurred before CSK’s match against Lucknow Super Giants on May 15.
Dhoni’s status ahead of CSK vs SRH
- Chennai host Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday in their final home game of the IPL 2026 league stage.
- MS Dhoni has not yet travelled with the team to the stadium this season, despite CSK’s push toward the playoffs.
- He was sidelined for the first two weeks due to a calf strain, before reports indicated the calf issue returned.
- Later reports suggested Dhoni may have been fit but chose not to unsettle the existing team balance.
- Recent reporting has claimed Dhoni will travel for the Chepauk match but is unlikely to play.
- That report also said Dhoni suffered a thumb injury during training, with the injury traced back to before the Lucknow Super Giants game on May 15.
Ravichandran Ashwin—an India spinner and a CSK veteran—has shared his view that Dhoni could still be involved in the match in some capacity. Speaking on his YouTube show “Ash Ki Baat,” Ashwin said he has a “feeling” about Dhoni’s possible involvement, pointing to the idea that many members of the commentary setup were expected to be present on May 18, and adding that it could be a sign of whether Dhoni will feature. He stopped short of certainty but suggested that Dhoni might at least be available for the game.
For CSK, the match carries immediate importance. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, the team will play their last home fixture of the season on Monday at Chepauk, and the uncertainty around Dhoni’s participation has intensified as the deadline for results approaches.
Dhoni remains without an IPL 2026 appearance so far, with his recovery linked to the calf strain. While he has been doing net sessions, the timeline for when—or if—he returns to CSK’s XI is still unclear, particularly with Monday’s game described as a must-win for the side.
CSK currently sit in sixth place in the points table with 12 points. With two league matches remaining after this one, they need substantial wins to stay alive in the race for the playoffs.
They enter the SRH fixture on the back of a difficult result: CSK were beaten by seven wickets by Lucknow Super Giants in their most recent match. After beginning the season with three straight defeats, the franchise has steadied its campaign and is now battling to keep its playoff hopes intact.
Ashwin also addressed how Dhoni could potentially fit into the XI structure for this game. He suggested Dhoni may replace the young all-rounder Prashant Veer in the playing XI, while also arguing that Dhoni could be used as an impact player to add late-innings power.
“One option is that you can drop Prashant Veer and bring MS into the team, but he has to be an Impact Player,” Ashwin said. “I don’t think MS Dhoni will play in the team; maybe he will be on the Impact List. Then, with the Impact Substitution rule, if they are chasing, he can be kept in the Impact List. Impact List, 70-30,” he concluded.
