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‘MS Dhoni will play his last IPL match on May 18 in Chennai’

kumaralokekma

Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif has made a shocking claim regarding the retirement of former Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni in IPL 2026.

Dhoni has been a key figure for CSK over the years and is practically the face of the franchise. Now 44, he has not played any of CSK’s 10 matches in IPL 2026 as he recovers from a calf muscle strain.

In his absence, this season has been a mixed one for CSK. He started slow, but has now gained momentum. With 5 wins and 5 losses in 10 matches, the five-time champions are still in the race for the playoffs.

key points

  • Mohammad Kaif claimed that MS Dhoni may retire from IPL after CSK’s home match in Chennai on May 18.
  • Dhoni has not played a single match in IPL 2026 due to a calf strain injury.
  • The former CSK captain had earlier said that he wanted to play his last IPL match in Chennai.
  • Chennai Super Kings are still alive in the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs despite an inconsistent season.

CSK defeated DC on Tuesday

On Tuesday, May 5, CSK managed to defeat Delhi Capitals at their own home ground – the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. CSK’s spinners made full use of the favorable conditions offered and with a little help, restricted DC to 69/5 shortly before the halfway mark.

Twice in the two home games, the Capitals were forced to bring in a batsman as an impact player despite batting first. Sameer Rizvi was brought in from outside the eleven and scored an unbeaten 40 to push DC to 156.

Despite CSK’s slow start, the target never looked like a real challenge. Sanju Samson made up for the slow start by picking the right time to attack and scored an unbeaten 87. Karthik Sharma followed up his half-century in the previous match with an unbeaten 41 to give CSK their fifth win of the season.

“MS Dhoni may announce his retirement on May 18” – Mohammad Kaif

Although CSK are still in the race for the playoffs, they are not among the likely teams to make the top four in this final stage of the tournament. Despite winning 3 of their last 4 matches, CSK are still placed sixth in the points table.

Mohammad Kaif interacted with journalist Ravish Bisht in a video posted on his social media. Kaif talked about how Dhoni’s absence after 10 matches could mean that he will eventually retire.

“CSK has already played 10 matches, but ‘Thala’ [meaning leader, a nickname for MS Dhoni] Haven’t played. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has not played any match. Now I think that perhaps the one home match that CSK has got in Chennai on 18th May could be their last match. Maybe he plays the last match and says, ‘Goodbye, thank you’. As a player, he can retire from IPL that day.

On May 18, CSK will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai. This will be the last home game for CSK this season, but their second-last match in the league stage. In the past, MS Dhoni had talked about his desire to play his last IPL match in Chennai in front of the home crowd.

Also read: MS Dhoni will not play the remaining matches of IPL 2026! R Ashwin made a big claim

Almost every year, there is speculation over whether MS Dhoni will retire after the current IPL season or not, but it has never been as strong as it is in 2026.

CSK’s next match

CSK’s next two matches will be against tenth-placed Lucknow Super Giants. Both the teams will play in Chennai on 10th May and then in Lucknow on 15th May.

LSG is currently facing defeat in six consecutive matches. In these circumstances, CSK can imagine getting 4 more points on the board and strengthening their claim for the playoffs.

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