5 min learnCould 17, 2026 09:17 PM IST
Because the clock ticked 6.30 PM, a padded-up MS Dhoni strolled out of the MA Chidambaram Stadium dressing room. After a little bit of warm-up within the indoor area, with no coach by his facet for a change, the 44-year-old did a number of stretching workouts earlier than ready for round quarter-hour for his flip to bat.
He batted within the nets alongside Prashant Veer for half-hour, going through the throwdown specialists after which the spinners. By the point the clock struck 7.30 PM, he was again within the dressing room.
As Chennai Tremendous Kings put together to host Sunrisers Hyderabad of their closing dwelling recreation this season, a query that has achieved the rounds not simply Chepauk however across the nation nonetheless stays unanswered. Will Dhoni play on Monday? As the previous CSK captain spent an prolonged interval on the sidelines, first with harm after which to not take Kartik Sharma’s spot, it appeared as if Chennai had made peace with Dhoni transferring on.
However a remark he made in 2021 is producing renewed hope forward of the fixture. “I’ve at all times deliberate my cricket. The final ODI that I performed in India was in Ranchi. Hopefully, my final T20 shall be in Chennai. Whether or not it’s subsequent yr or in 5 years’ time, I don’t know,” he had mentioned.
A attainable closing outing for Dhoni with Chennai’s play-off hopes driving on this must-win fixture has seen the demand for tickets rise once more. Proper by this season, barring the match in opposition to Mumbai Indians which was packed to the brim, there have been a number of hundred empty seats at Chepauk. The clamour for tickets within the black market has additionally been uninteresting compared to earlier seasons. Nevertheless, the story is completely different for Monday’s fixture with demand sky-rocketing.
Dhoni has himself added to the intrigue. Having taken solely throwdowns until now within the Chennai nets, he confronted the spinners and tonked them over the Madras Cricket Membership stands. With Jamie Overton returning dwelling, Chennai’s batting depth has diminished and there’s a scope for Dhoni to fit in. However equally pertinent is that of their final recreation in opposition to Lucknow Tremendous Giants, they performed simply three abroad gamers and with Akeal Hosein unlikely to play right here due to three left-handers on the high of the SRH line-up, there’s a probability for the crew to make use of South African all-rounder Dian Forrester, who has landed after a stint within the Pakistan Tremendous League.
Different issues
But it surely’s not nearly Dhoni. Ought to Chennai fail to make the play-offs, it might be the third successive season their involvement would finish early. For the primary time since his appointment as head coach in 2009, head coach Stephen Fleming has been going through warmth from the followers. When Chennai have been struggling for consistency three weeks in the past, based on these within the know, N Srinivasan, the bulk shareholder of the franchise, had expressed his displeasure to these in his shut circle.
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Regardless of being ravaged by accidents, which have seen Chennai lose no less than 4 gamers who would have been a part of the XII, there are nonetheless questions across the franchise’s method.
Fleming, who often fronts as much as the press on match eve, selected to not flip up on Sunday and as a substitute despatched the newly-added Spencer Johnson and stored everybody guessing.
The match is essential for SRH as effectively. Like Chennai, which wants a win to remain within the playoff race, two factors are essential for them too. With 14 factors and two video games to play, profitable each would see them by. However in case they finish on 16, there might be hassle with many of the groups nonetheless within the hunt.
For Chennai, their earlier outing in opposition to Hyderabad may come again to chew them. From a place of energy, they ended up shedding with Fleming ruing that end result.
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Including to the drama is a authorized battle between the 2 franchises. Till not too long ago, each operated only a stone’s throw away from one another with the Marina seaside overlooking from one facet. They’ve largely remained pleasant foes. However simply days earlier than the season commenced, SRH homeowners Solar TV Community filed a copyright infringement go well with within the Madras Excessive Courtroom in opposition to CSK for utilizing songs, dialogues and background tracks from Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie of their promotional content material on its social media platforms. It had additionally demanded submission of accounts from CSK concerning the cash earned by such unauthorised use.
This off-field battle hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Chennai devoted, who appear to assume a brand new rivalry is growing.