MS Dhoni made his return to the CSK ground on match day for the first time in IPL 2026, but he was not named in the playing XI and did not sit on the substitutes bench either.<\/p>\n
In Chennai, the captain who won the toss opted to bat first, with Ruturaj Gaikwad explaining that Dhoni was not \u201cfit enough\u201d to take the field. Gaikwad also pointed to the surface, describing it as slightly dry, and suggested that setting a target would be the smarter route given the conditions. He added that the absence of dew played a part in the decision. CSK then made one late tweak: Akeal Hosein came into the XI, replacing Gurjapneet Singh, who had been listed among the Impact Subs.<\/p>\n
Sunrisers Hyderabad were coming into the contest after a week-long break. Their previous outing had ended in disappointment as they were bowled out for 86 in Ahmedabad. For SRH, a victory in this match would not only strengthen their own playoff chances, but it would also keep Gujarat Titans\u2019 qualification scenario alive.<\/p>\n
MS Dhoni made his return to the CSK ground on match day for the first time in IPL 2026, but he was not named in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Dhoni Returns to Chepauk, CSK Bat First","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 at Chepauk: Dhoni\u2019s return sparks talk as CSK choose to bat first after toss win\u2014Gaikwad cites fitness and a dry pitch.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n