‘Dhoni is not fit enough to play,’ Gaikwad at toss; CSK bat first against SRH
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Dhoni is not fit enough to play,’ Gaikwad at toss; CSK bat first against SRH")
‘Dhoni is not fit enough to play,’ Gaikwad at toss; CSK bat first against SRH Photograph: (X/@IPL)
CSK vs SRH Toss & Lineups: Ruturaj Gaikwad wins the toss and opts to bat first at Chepauk. Skipper drops a major injury update on MS Dhoni, confirming "he is not fit enough to play" tonight. See the official Playing XIs here.
No MS Dhoni in the playing XI for CSK as Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bat first against the touring SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Chepauk on Monday (May 18). Deafening cheers welcomed the two captains at the toss, with a packed stadium holding onto the desperate hope of Dhoni’s much-anticipated selection for the first time this season. However, the veteran remains sidelined as he recovers from a stubborn calf strain. In this do-or-die game for CSK, Gaikwad made one change to the playing XI, bringing in overseas Akeal Hosein ahead of seamer Gurjapneet Singh.
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Check out the playing XI of both teams –
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson and Noor Ahmad
SunRisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, R Smaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (captain), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge
Also read | WATCH | Sharp-shooter MS Dhoni impresses NSG commandos with shooting drills in Chennai hub
Dhoni was part of CSK’s travelling entourage to the stadium for the marquee IPL 2026 game, but remained unavailable for selection. Although Gaikwad broke a million hearts worldwide with an update on Dhoni’s selection for CSK’s last home game this season, he dropped a massive hint on his team’s former captain’s potential return to the playing XI.
Check what Gaikwad said about Dhoni’s return and about winning the toss, “Looks a dry wicket, no dew around as well, so we want to put up a score. Last game also, it wasn't the best of wickets to bat on. Anything around 200 should be a good score. We want to start well, assess well and put our best foot forward. We have to respect conditions. Batting first looks good. [Is MS Dhoni playing?] He is not fit enough to play, but you never know if we win this and he comes for the last one. Akeal comes in for Gurjapneet.”
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On the other hand, Pat Cummins, the SRH captain, felt good to be back after a longer gap, saying, “A good rest for us, so hopefully, we can win. Mood has been great. It is going to be exciting. We were looking to have a bowl. Same team as the last game.”
