MS Dhoni takes the field in Chepauk for the final home appearance of IPL 2026 – Watch

NEW DELHI: The roar inside Chepauk reached another level on Monday night when MS Dhoni took to the field during Chennai Super Kings’ final home match of IPL 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Although the former ČSK captain did not feature in the playing XI due to injury concerns, his brief appearance during the mid-innings break became one of the biggest moments of the night for the packed Chennai crowd.As the innings break began, Dhoni came out along with the rest of CSK for a team photo on the field. The players sat together on chairs near the boundary ropes as fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium erupted into loud chants for the legendary wicket-taker. Videos of the moment quickly went viral on social media and fans applauded Dhoni’s last appearance in Chepauk this season.Watch: Earlier in the evening, the atmosphere at the stadium turned emotional during the toss when former India coach Ravi Shastri directly asked CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad if Dhoni would finally return to action.“I have to ask you this. MS Dhoni, where is he? Is he playing?” Shastri asked to deafening cheers from the crowd.However, Gaikwad confirmed that Dhoni was still unavailable due to fitness issues.“He is still here but not fit enough to play this game,” Gaikwad replied.With Dhoni sidelined with a calf injury, CSK posted 180/7 after being asked to bat first. Pat Cummins brilliantly led the SRH bowling attack with three wickets while Sakib Hussain claimed two crucial scalps.Sanju Samson got off to a hot start for Chennai with 27 while Dewald Brevis added an important 44 in the middle overs. However, regular wickets prevented CSK from crossing the 200-run mark in a crucial clash with play-off implications for both sides.