Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged MS Dhoni to consider one more appearance for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026, ahead of the franchise\u2019s final home outing of the season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The veteran believes Dhoni can honour the promise he has made to supporters by planning his last-ever match at Chepauk, and he even suggested that if the wicketkeeper-batter does not feature on Monday, it could signal a return in 2027 to fulfil that commitment.<\/p>\n
Dhoni has been sidelined throughout this IPL campaign with a calf injury. However, with CSK scheduled to host Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Monday, the conversation around a potential farewell cameo has reignited, drawing renewed attention from fans who associate Dhoni\u2019s career with the Chepauk crowd.<\/p>\n
Speaking ahead of the match, Harbhajan reflected on Dhoni\u2019s deep-rooted bond with Chennai and said the moment feels especially meaningful because of the uncertainty around the former India captain\u2019s playing future. He also pointed to Dhoni\u2019s earlier remarks about wanting his final match at the Chennai venue, framing Monday\u2019s game as the clearest possible opportunity to make that wish come true.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, he had said earlier that he would like to play his final match against Chennai, at Chennai\u2019s ground. And now that time has come \u2014 this is the last match in Chennai. It\u2019s possible that we may see Thala playing on Monday for the last time, and maybe this Chennai crowd will also be watching him play for the final time. And if he doesn\u2019t play, then it means he\u2019ll come back again next year. Then he\u2019ll say, \u2018Next year, you\u2019ll see me playing my last match.\u2019 You never know with him, but hopefully he will play,\u201d Harbhajan said on JioHotstar.<\/p>\n
Harbhajan then added a playful but sincere message aimed directly at his former teammate, pushing him to take the field one final time for the fans. \u201cBrother, just play tomorrow, Dhoni, please play. Otherwise I\u2019ll come to your Chennai, and if needed, I\u2019ll drag you onto the ground myself and ask you to play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The comments have only heightened the anticipation around an already eagerly awaited night at Chepauk, where supporters are expected to pack the stands in large numbers. Many are hoping to see \u201cThala\u201d in CSK colours again, even if it turns out to be a final appearance.<\/p>\n
Dhoni himself had spoken about the possibility of concluding his T20 career in Chennai during CSK\u2019s IPL title celebrations in 2021. At that time, he indicated that he would like his last T20 outing to take place at Chepauk, though he admitted he could not be sure when that moment would arrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have always planned my cricket. The last game I played was in Ranchi. The last home game in ODI was at my hometown in Ranchi. So, hopefully, my last T20 will be in Chennai. Whether it\u2019s next year or in five years\u2019 time, we don\u2019t really know,\u201d Dhoni had said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged MS Dhoni to consider one more appearance for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026, ahead of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Harbhajan Backs Dhoni for CSK IPL 2026 at Chepauk","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Harbhajan Singh urges MS Dhoni to play CSK\u2019s IPL 2026 home finale at Chepauk, hinting it could be his last match and a 2027 return.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n