MS Dhoni met his longtime teammate Suresh Raina as the Chennai Super Kings took a lap of honour after playing their last home game of the IPL 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, May 18. The Super Kings could have given the Chepauk fans a memorable closure with a win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad; however, they went down in what was a very crucial match for their playoff hopes. The Super Kings failed to defend a competitive 180 on a slow Chepauk surface as Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen played big knocks of 70 and 47 to guide the team home with five wickets in hand and one over to spare.
Dhoni's participation in the game was one of the most-talked-about things on Monday, as it could potentially have been the final time that the CSK fans would see him in action at Chepauk. While Dhoni didn't play, he came to the ground for the first time this season after having stayed away from stadiums on the matchdays.
Dhoni and CSK took a lap of honour in what was CSK's last game at Chepauk this season. Dhoni met Raina on the way to his lap as both the cricketers hugged each other. Thala's meeting with Chinna Thala made several CSK fans emotional.
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SRH inflict massive blow to CSK's playoff chances
SRH have inflicted a massive blow to CSK's playoff chances. Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen starred with the bat, sharing a 75-run partnership from 41 balls for the third wicket. Kishan was the hero for SRH as he made 70 to see SRH home with five wickets in hand and one over to spare. The loss meant that CSK's chances of making the playoffs took a big hit. The Super Kings had a chance to break in the top four with a win over the SRH, but they dropped a place further down to sixth as their playoff chances hang by a thread.
CSK now need to win their last match against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad and hope for other results to go their way. Three teams have confirmed their playoffs' place and five are still in hunt for the last remaining spot.
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