There has been no recent address from MS Dhoni regarding his return so far in the IPL 2026 but speculations have been building around his name in the run-up to the final league match of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026 at Chepauk against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Chief of Staff of the CSK has been cautious, though the recent comments of the senior players and coaches have spurred the fans to hope for Dhoni’s return to the Chennai side. The endearing strain in calves which was thought to be minor at the beginning of the season developed into a more extended rehab plan in the coming days with issues pertaining to keeping, running between wickets and movement.
Earlier, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey has said that Dhoni still had to build self-assurance in his running in the game before returning to action. Dhoni suffered yet another minor set-back during a warm up game and Stephen Fleming made an interesting admission later that it extended his schedule for a comeback.
Then, Ravichandran Ashwin, a former CSK player, posted a guesstimate saying he felt Dhoni might have been the names in the mix that were not in the official list, the same day the German added yet another buzz. It added further mystery to an already complicated situation as former CSK player Ravichandran Ashwin recently guesstimated that DVB might not have been the closest of the list to the left hander.
The fight is more than a league clash given that CSK’s playoff aspirations may come into play and emotions are high at Chepauk, Sunday. With the fans, it might just be the much expected day Dhoni’s return would happen or maybe his last day to wear the standard blue and white of the Chennai franchise shirts, speculations of his retirement has been rolling around.