When Chennai Super Kings set foot at the MAC Stadium for one last time this IPL season to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Monday (May 18, 2026), there will be heightened expectations for more than one reason.

Even as CSK looks to maximise its home advantage in a must-win encounter, there is curiosity over whether M.S. Dhoni will take the centre stage at the ‘Den’ for the first time in IPL 2026. Having earned six victories, Super Kings need to win the final two matches and hope a few other results go their way to keep playoff hopes alive.

The five-time champion comes into the fixture on the back of a crushing seven-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Friday (May 15, 2026). The Super Kings, however, won’t dwell much on the defeat.

It was a rare off day for a bowling attack that has otherwise punched above its weight and been key to the side’s success so far. In the batting department, Shivam Dube got some much-needed runs in Lucknow, and his form should bolster the middle-order.

CSK may have to revisit its strategy of using three left-arm seamers — as it deployed against LSG — which makes the bowling attack one-dimensional. Whether the team brings in Akeal Hosein, considering Sunrisers’ marauding left-handed top three of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan, remains to be seen.

The Hyderabad outfit heads into the game following an 82-run defeat against the Gujarat Titans, in which it was bowled out for 86 on a pace-friendly pitch in Ahmedabad. CSK will hope to take some cues from that game and might pray for a surface that grips enough to unsettle the SRH batters.

Given the contrasting approaches of the teams, the stage is set for an exciting southern contest. Can Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men sign off in style at their backyard?