MS Dhoni: MS Dhoni left Chennai Super Kings midway through IPL 2026 and returned home to Ranchi. Has Dhoni quietly retired from the IPL? Let's find out what the whole story is.

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni Returns to Ranchi, IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings will play their final league stage match of IPL 2026 against the Gujarat Titans today (May 21). However, an update ahead of the match stated that MS Dhoni has returned home to Ranchi mid-season. So, has Mahi quietly left CSK mid-season and retired from the IPL? Let's explore the full story behind Mahi's return home.

Why did MS Dhoni return to Ranchi mid-season? Has he retired?

It's worth noting that Chennai played their 13th match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk on May 18. MS Dhoni accompanied the team to the stadium for the match, but did not play.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Dhoni returned home to Ranchi due to a thumb injury before the final league match. It has been reported that he will rejoin the team if Chennai reaches the playoffs. This makes it clear that he has not yet retired.

One injury after another

Dhoni suffered a calf injury at the start of the season, which prevented him from playing a single match. On March 28th, Chennai announced in an update that Mahi could be out for up to two weeks due to the calf injury. This injury effectively ruled him out of league matches for the entire season. A second thumb injury occurred later in the season. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni returns if Chennai reaches the playoffs.

MS Dhoni's IPL career

Looking back at Dhoni's IPL career, he has played 278 matches so far. Batting in 242 innings, he scored 5439 runs at an average of 38.30 and a strike rate of 137.45. During this period, he scored 24 half-centuries, with a high score of 84*.