IPL 2026, CSK vs SRH Today Match: Chennai Super Kings are once again without MS Dhoni Match 63 of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, May 18, 2026. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad confirmed at the toss that Dhoni was “not fit enough” to feature in the match.
According to reports, the former India captain had recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out during the early stages of IPL 2026. However, Dhoni recently suffered a thumb injury during a training session, which has delayed his return once again.
The announcement ended intense speculation surrounding Dhoni’s possible return in Chennai’s final home game of the league stage. Fans had gathered in huge numbers around Chepauk hoping to see the former India captain make his first appearance of the season.
Dhoni has not played a single match in IPL 2026 after suffering a calf injury before the tournament. Reports in recent days had suggested he had recovered and could return as an Impact Player, but the veteran was ultimately left out of the playing XI for the crucial SRH encounter.
Toss Result
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad .
Playing XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson
Impact Substitutes:
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Travis Head, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Mukesh Choudhary, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh
