Top News

The spotlight will be firmly on MS Dhoni when Chennai Super Kings take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 63rd match of Indian Premier League 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

While the clash is crucial for the playoff race, fans are equally emotional about the possibility of witnessing Dhoni’s final appearance in Chennai. CSK are playing their last home game of the season, and speculation around Dhoni’s retirement from the IPL has intensified due to his fitness concerns and advancing age.

The legendary wicketkeeper-batter has not played a single match this season because of injury issues. Over the years, Dhoni has repeatedly expressed his desire to play his final T20 match in Chennai, making this fixture especially significant for fans at Chepauk.

There is also growing discussion about whether Dhoni could feature as an Impact Player if he is not fully fit. If CSK bat first, he could replace Prashant Veer or another bowler later in the innings. Prashant Veer, who has batted in the lower middle order this season, has struggled to make a major impact with the bat.

If Chennai field first, Dhoni could still enter the match as an Impact Player by replacing any Indian player during the batting innings.

For CSK, the match is virtually a do-or-die contest in the race for the playoffs. A defeat against SRH would officially knock Chennai out of playoff contention. Such a result would also confirm playoff qualification for Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, while strengthening Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s hold on a top-two finish.

However, a win for Chennai would keep the playoff battle wide open with three qualification spots still undecided.

As things stand, every team except Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants remains mathematically alive in the playoff race, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already secured their playoff berth.

Probable CSK XII:

Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer/MS Dhoni, Diyan Forrester, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary.