MS Dhoni to play his last match in Chennai?:CSK host SRH in do-or-die battle; explosive Samson vs aggressive Cummins in spotlight

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will look to return to winning ways after suffering defeats in their previous qualification-round matches. The two sides are set to clash in a crucial playoff race encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Reportedly, MS Dhoni could be playing his final IPL match at Chepauk, making the contest even more emotional for Chennai supporters. Earlier on 18 April, SRH edged past CSK by 10 runs in Match 27. Batting first, Hyderabad posted 194/9 in 20 overs, while Chennai fell short at 184/8 during the chase. Eshan Malinga starred with the ball for SRH, delivering an impressive spell of 3/29 to earn the Player of the Match award. CSK vs SRH, Match Details Match: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, match 63 Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Date: 18 May, 2026 Time: 7:30 PM IST, toss at 7:00 PM IST Where to watch: Star Sports network (Telecasting), JioHotstar (Streaming) Where to follow: Follow live updates from the match on the Bhaskar English app. CSK vs KKR, head-to-head record Chennai and Hyderabad have met 23 times in IPL history, with CSK leading the rivalry 15-8. Chennai’s highest total against SRH is 223, while Hyderabad’s best score stands at 194. This clash will be crucial in the playoff qualification race, as CSK must defeat SRH to keep their hopes alive. MS Dhoni’s last outing in Chepauk before IPL retirement? With MS Dhoni not playing the entire season so far, a million-dollar question among CSK fans is whether Thala will play his last IPL match at Chepauk against Hyderabad? Former CSK Off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “Let’s see. I have a feeling that against Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is a good chance of him playing. Let’s wait and see how it goes,” said Ashwin, former CSK spinner. Fans are anticipating Dhoni’s farewell game because previously, he said that he would be playing his last IPL match in front of his home crowd. He said, “I have always planned my cricket, you know, my last ODI version, the last home game was at my home town in Ranchi. So, hopefully, my last T20, it will be in Chennai.” Samson, Anshul keep CSK’s qualification hopes alive Explosive Sanju Samson is the leading run-scorer for CSK. He has scored 450 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 164.23, including two centuries in the season. CSK pacer Anshul Kamboj has taken 19 wickets in 12 matches and conceded runs with an expensive economy of 10.11, including best figures of 3/22. Klaasen and Malinga propellors of Hyderabad’s stronghold Hyderabad’s middle-order batter, Heinrich Klaasen, is the leading run-scorer for SRH. He has scored 508 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 153.93, including a highest individual score of 69 in this season. In terms of bowling performance, Eshan Malinga has taken 16 wickets in 12 matches and conceded runs with a high economy of 9.63. His best figures this season are 4/32 against the Delhi Capitals. Pat Cummins yet to dismiss Sanju Samson in IPL SRH’s aggressive captain, Pat Cummins, couldn’t manage to dismiss Sanju Samson ever in the history. He has conceded runs with an economy of 7.66. While Chennai’s explosive opener, ‘Chetta’ has scored 23 runs, facing 18 balls with a strike rate of 127.77 in the tournament history. Noor Ahmad and Ishan Kishan will battle for dominance over each other Hyderabad’s wicket-keeper batter, Ishan Kishan, has dominated Afghanistan mystery spinner Noor Ahmad in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 22 runs, facing 12 balls, with a strike rate of 183.33. However, the Afghan spinner has dismissed ‘Pocket-dynamite’ only once in the history of the tournament so far. He has conceded runs with an extremely high economy of 11.00. MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch report The Chepauk Stadium continues to offer a balance of batting and bowling since, in the previous games this season, the total has mostly passed the 200-run mark. Traditionally known to be a slow pitch, Chidambaram Stadium has been blessed with a good batting surface in the 19th edition of IPL. However, the pitch becomes a bit slower in the 2nd innings, offering assistance to bowlers and some leverage to the side defending a chase. Chennai weather report 42% cloud cover is expected in Chennai on Monday evening, with 10% chance of rain. According to Accuweather, the humidity will be 84%, and the temperature will hover around 30°C during the match.