IPL 2026: Dhoni to retire from IPL? ‘Thala’ will play the last match against Hyderabad? Information came forward

By Samira Vishwas On May 18, 2026

Dhoni to retire from IPL?
Last match to be played against Hyderabad?
Dhoni practiced in the nets

Chennai Super Kings, who are fighting for a place in the Indian Premier League 2026 playoffs, will play against Sunrisers Hyderabad today (Dec 18). The match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Also, this will be Chennai’s last home match of the season. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, all eyes will be on one person that is S. Dhoni. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has not played a single match in IPL 2026, is currently in the news. The talk that Dhoni will play his last match today and retire from the IPL has gained momentum. At the beginning of the season, Dhoni suffered a calf injury. After this, he will be out of action for approximately two weeks, CSK informed in an official statement. But the wait grew longer. Now, fans are hoping to see Dhoni on the field one last time before announcing his retirement from the T20 league.

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Thala to retire from IPL?

In 2021, Dhoni (MS.Dhoni) hinted at his possible retirement at an event for Chennai Super Kings. He said, ‘I always play cricket according to the plan. I played my last ODI match in Ranchi. So, hopefully, my last T20 match will be in Chennai. Whether it will be next year or five years from now, we don’t know for sure.’ Today marks the end of five years and CSK’s last match of the season will be played between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk.

Once MS Dhoni said, “Hopefully my last T20 will be in Chennai.” And before that, he mentioned how he has always planned his career — his last ODI in Ranchi, his home ground.
So yes, CSK Nation… we can dream.
Maybe, just maybe, on 18th May vs SRH, we might witness Thala walking… pic.twitter.com/lnyanIGLFF
— sirron tweets (@SirronOfficial) May 16, 2026

CSK’s statement on Dhoni’s injury

Dhoni suffered a hamstring injury at the start of IPL 2026. CSK then officially issued a statement saying that he will be out of the team for two weeks, but now seven weeks have passed and Dhoni has not appeared on the field in a single match. Although he returned to the Nets a few days after the opener, he did not travel with the team and remained out of the dugout during home games. This caused disappointment among the fans.

Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey had already clarified that Dhoni was batting well in the nets. However, the real concern was his fitness. Head coach Stephen Fleming said he had tried to get him back into the team as soon as possible, but he aggravated the injury in a warm-up game. CSK had booked Dhoni’s flight tickets for the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), but Dhoni refused to travel at the last minute.
Dhoni’s practice in the nets

Dhoni practiced in the nets

Before the match against Hyderabad, Dhoni practiced as usual. According to media reports, Dhoni walked out of the dressing room at the MA Chidambaram Stadium wearing pads. After warming-up alone in the indoor arena, he did some stretching-exercises. After this, he batted for 30 minutes in the nets. He faced throw-down specialists and then spinners. Also, with rumors that today’s match could be Dhoni’s last, the demand for tickets has increased again.

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