MS Dhoni spotted batting at Chepauk ahead of CSK vs SRH — is he playing tonight in IPL 2026?

Before the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the question was how many games MS Dhoni would feature in the season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and ahead of their last home clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the question has turned to whether he would play one fixture at home for the franchise.   

On the eve of the encounter against the Pat Cummins-led side, Dhoni was seen to be training at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk when most players decided to skip the pre-match practice session. There was no confirmation from the team management on the availability of the veteran. 

Dhoni seen batting at Chepauk nets this week —Training footage sparks return speculation

The routine for the wicket-keeper batter in this IPL 2026 has been simple. He would come for the pre-match practice session on the eve of every game for the Chennai Super Kings at home. But he didn’t travel with the team to the ground on the match days and decided to stay back in the hotel.

When the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has traveled to the other cities for the away games, Dhoni has skipped most of those trips apart from going to Mumbai, where he was expected to be part of the playing eleven.

But, in a do-or-die situation for the franchise, along with his training footage on the eve of the SRH clash, many expect him to turn up for the game.

CSK Playing 11 Tonight not confirmed — Is Dhoni in the squad for CSK vs SRH?

It would be interesting to see if the Super Kings throw in Dian Forrester straightaway in the playing eleven to boost their lower middle order. For them, Sanju Samson is currently the leading run-getter of the edition with 450 runs in 12 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 164.23, thanks to one half-century and two centuries at the best score of unbeaten 115 runs.

If they want, the management may look to inject the former Indian captain at number eight to strengthen their batting order. The decision will be tough and will depend totally on the Ranchi-born.

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

The Super Kings, who are in fifth position in the table at the moment, can make it with 16 points. Without relying on NRR, they can qualify if RCB beats SRH or RR drops at least one game. They can pipe one of RR or SRH, or NRR, should the former win both and the latter get the better of Bengaluru.

See Also: IPL 2026: Injury or silent farewell for MS Dhoni? CSK official’s statement drops bombshell

CSK can make it to the top four irrespective of which of their two opponents they beat, but they will need multiple results to go their way. If CSK lose to Hyderabad but beat GT, they can make it without depending on NRR if RR lose both, LSG beat PBKS, and KKR beat DC but lose to MI.