Have we seen the last of MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings colours? There has been no official confirmation from CSK nor Dhoni himself, who has led the Chennai franchise to five IPL titles. But looking at how the events unfolded during CSK’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk on Monday, it all seemed like a farewell to their beloved Thala.
Leading up to the match there were speculations of Dhoni playing the match and the possibility of him taking the field became more solid when he boarded the team bus. Despite not featuring in a single game in IPL 2026, the 44-year-old had stayed away from the venues where CSK played on matchdays, believing his presence could be distracting for the team.
At the toss, Ravi Shastri specifically asked skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad if Dhoni was in the playing XI, and to everybody’s disappointment Gaikwad updated about his unavailability for the match. Though, in the mid-innings break, he walked out to the field for the team photoshoot and after the match he again returned to the ground for CSK’s lap of honour. He waved to the Chepauk crowd, took pictures with the groundstaff, also clicked selfies with the photographers from the press.
During the team’s lap of honour, his former India and CSK team-mate Suresh Raina met him. Both managed a brief interaction and later Raina revealed that he urged Dhoni to come back for another season.
“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)’. 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 told Star Sports.
“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,” Raina added.
Before the start of IPL 2026, Dhoni was sidelined for two weeks as he was struggling with a calf problem. Then the two weeks absence stretched for the entire season with CSK fans eagerly waiting to see their favourite Thala in action.
With CSK in transition trying to build a team around talented youngsters, it would take some time for the franchise to come together as a unit and start producing results. There are already speculations that IPL 2026 could have been Dhoni’s farewell season in yellow, but the former India captain has mastered the art of keeping everyone guessing.
