On May 18 at Chepauk, Mahendra Singh Dhoni — sidelined for much of the season by injury — made a rare appearance on the field with his Chennai teammates even though he was not in the playing XI, sparking fresh retirement speculation as Chennai lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad; the result also confirmed SRH’s place in the playoffs and tightened the race for the remaining spots.
Dhoni’s presence — walking out of the dressing room, joining teammates on the outfield after Chennai’s innings, and taking part in a photo shoot — sent waves through the stadium. Fans had been waiting all season for the familiar images of Dhoni’s helicopter shot and his calm review signals; injury repeatedly delayed his return to competitive action, so the sight of him in Chepauk only fueled questions about whether this might be his final IPL appearance.
On the field, Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bat. Early momentum swung SRH’s way when Pat Cummins and Saqib Hossain struck in the top order. Sanju Samson steadied Chennai with a solid innings, and with support from Karthik Sharma and a 44-run contribution from another middle-order batsman, the hosts reached 180 for 7.
Cummins finished with three wickets for SRH, while Heinrich Klaasen’s 47 offered Sunrisers a late jolt as Chennai tried to force a turnaround. Ultimately, however, Sunrisers had the upper hand: a valuable 70-run effort in the chase put SRH on course and they sealed the win, beating Chennai by 27 runs.
The victory took Sunrisers Hyderabad to 16 points and secured their place in the IPL playoffs. Chennai’s defeat also handed Gujarat Titans a path to qualification — they too now stand on 16 points — while Royal Challengers Bangalore sit top with 18. That leaves one playoff spot still to be decided. Chennai’s hopes are not mathematically dead, but their route is narrow: they must win their remaining match and depend on favourable results for Punjab and Rajasthan.
For Chepauk on May 18, the game’s lone bright moment was seeing Dhoni on the outfield during the half-time photo session — a poignant reminder of the nostalgia the IPL evokes, and a prompt for renewed speculation about the future of one of the game’s most iconic figures.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/ms-dhoni-leaves-chepauk-emotional-after-srh-defeat-csk/
Category: অসম,উত্তৰ-পূব,ক্ৰীড়া,দেশ,শীর্ষ সংবাদ
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Publish Date: 2026-05-19 09:04:00
