New Delhi: The roar inside Chepak reached another level on Monday night when MS Dhoni stepped onto the field. Chennai Super Kings‘IPL 2026 final home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Although the former CSK captain was not included in the playing XI due to injury concerns, his brief presence during the mid-innings break turned out to be one of the biggest moments of the night for the packed Chennai crowd.As the innings break began, Dhoni went out with the rest of the CSK squad to take a team photo on the field. The players huddled together on chairs near the boundary ropes while fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium chanted loudly for the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman. Videos of the moment quickly went viral on social media, with supporters praising Dhoni’s participation in the final in Chepak this season.See: Earlier in the evening, the atmosphere in the stadium was already emotional during the toss when former India coach Ravi Shastri asked the CSK skipper directly. Rituraj Gaikwad Will Dhoni finally return to action?“I have to ask you that question. MS Dhoni, where is he? Is he playing?” Shastri asked to cheers from the crowd.However, Gaekwad confirmed that Dhoni is still unavailable due to fitness issues.“He is still here, but he is not fit enough to play the game,” Gaekwad replied.With Dhoni sidelined with a calf injury, CSK posted 180/7 after being asked to bat first. Pete Cummins led SRH’s bowling attack brilliantly with three wickets, while Saqib Hussain took two crucial scalps.Sanju Samson provided a fiery start for Chennai with 27, while Dewald Brews added a crucial 44 in the middle overs. However, regular wickets prevented CSK from crossing the 200-run mark in a crucial encounter that had playoff implications for both sides.
