MS Dhoni arrived in Chennai to a rousing reception from fans on Saturday, February 28. The veteran wicketkeeper landed in the city ahead of the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 44-year-old is all set to play yet another season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). A big crowd gathered at the Chennai airport to catch a glimpse of the star cricketer.
The Chennai-based franchise posted a video on Instagram, announcing Dhoni’s arrival. The former CSK skipper signed an autograph for a fan before stepping into a car amid heavy security.
CSK captioned the post:
“The helicopter has landed in Chennai!”
It is worth mentioning that MS Dhoni’s association with CSK started in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008. The forthcoming edition will be his 17th season with the team. The new retention rules allowed the five-time champions to retain him as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore prior to the mega auction in 2025.
Dhoni recently visited the Deori Maa Temple near Ranchi to seek blessings. He continued his tradition of praying at the ancient temple before major tournaments.
MS Dhoni will be part of CSK’s pre-season camp for IPL 2026
CSK will kickstart their preparation for IPL 2026 with a pre-season camp in Chennai from Sunday, March 1. According to Cricbuzz, a total of 15 Indian players, including MS Dhoni, will take part in the camp at the team’s high-performance centre.
The team’s T20 World Cup 2026-bound Team India stars Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson will join the squad following the ICC event. Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue leading the side, while Stephen Fleming will remain their head coach.
Meanwhile, Chennai roped in nine players at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. They invested heavily in uncapped Indian players, signing Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer at ₹14.20 crore each. Some of their other notable buys included West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore), New Zealand pacer Matt Henry (₹2 crore), and Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh).
Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table,Result & squad –CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai