WATCH | MS Dhoni Arrives On Ground During Innings Break, Fans Go Wild At Chepauk

MS Dhoni made his first on-ground appearance of IPL 2026 during CSK’s clash against SunRisers Hyderabad at Chepauk.

MS Dhoni made his first on-ground appearance of IPL 2026 during Chennai Super Kings’ match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. The former CSK captain walked onto the field during the mid-innings break and interacted with teammates, delighting the Chepauk crowd.

Dhoni had missed the ongoing season because of recurring calf strain issues and did not feature in the playing XI or among the Impact Players against SRH. Despite remaining unavailable for selection, his brief appearance quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the night among CSK fans.

READ ALSO | Riyan Parag Pushes Away Young Child Seeking Selfie After RR’s IPL 2026 Defeat

Watch the video here:

MSD in Chepauk! #Msd #dhoni pic.twitter.com/zERDvRNjmg

— Deepan J (@DeepanJ6) May 18, 2026

Thala Dhoni got emotional at last match at chapuk of CSK #cskvssrh pic.twitter.com/hxHUPvgzkJ

— chloriee (@k_pop_base) May 18, 2026

Chennai Super Kings chose to bat first after winning the toss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 63 of IPL 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said the team wanted to assess conditions early and focus on taking the tournament one match at a time.

Gaikwad added that batting first looked like the better option at Chepauk. Chennai made 1 change to the playing XI, bringing back Akeal Hosein, while MS Dhoni remained unavailable because of injury concerns.

READ ALSO | Urvil Patel Takes Down Pat Cummins With Two Back-To-Back Sixes In Chennai

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins admitted his side also preferred bowling first but retained the same XI from the previous game.

CSK entered the contest in sixth place with 6 wins from 12 matches and needed victories in both remaining games to stay alive in the playoff race. SRH occupied third position with 7 wins in 12 matches and aimed to strengthen qualification hopes after suffering an 87-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.