NEW DELHI: Did Mahendra Singh Dhoni play his last IPL match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium? Is he going to retire after the IPL 2024? The speculation surrounding Dhoni's potential retirement and his last IPL appearance at the MA Chidambaram Stadium continues to linger in the minds of fans, eagerly awaiting clarity about the future of their beloved 'Thala'.
In a much-anticipated clash against Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings sought a crucial victory on Sunday. The Yellow Brigade delivered in style, clinching a convincing five-wicket triumph, thus keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the IPL playoffs.
With this victory, CSK jumped to the third position on the points table, while Rajasthan Royals suffered their third consecutive defeat but maintained their hold on the second spot.
After the match, emotions ran high at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as fans witnessed the reunion of their beloved 'Thala' Dhoni with his former teammate Suresh Raina, fondly known as 'Chinna Thala' among fans.
1/10:Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals to boost IPL play-off hopes
AP
2/10:CSK at third!
<p>Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's unbeaten 42 and three wickets by Simarjeet Singh helped title holders Chennai Super Kings move closer to an IPL play-off spot with a win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.<br /></p>AP
3/10:Scratchy win for hosts
<p>Five-time champions Chennai restricted Rajasthan to 141 for 5, a total they overhauled with five wickets and 10 balls to spare in their last home game at MA Chidambaram Stadium.<br /></p>AFP
4/10:A big boost to play-off hopes
<p>Chennai moved to 14 points and third place with seven wins in 13 matches. Sunrisers Hyderabad, also on 14, slipped to fourth, while Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants remain close with 12 points each.<br /></p>AFP
5/10:Royals sit at second spot
<p>Rajasthan remain second in the 10-team table led by Kolkata Knight Riders, who are the only team to have already qualified for the play-offs. The top four teams will make the play-offs with the final on May 26 in Chennai.<br /></p>PTI
6/10:Solid Gaikwad
<p>Gaikwad anchored Chennai's tricky chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals including when Ravindra Jadeja was called out for obstructing the field.<br /></p>AFP
7/10:The unfortunate Jadeja dismissal
<p>Jadeja was sent back by Gaikwad while attempting a second run and he changed direction on the pitch when the throw from wicketkeeper Samson hit his hand and the third umpire ruled him out after an appeal from the opposition.<br /></p>AP
8/10:Gaikwad show
<p>Gaikwad kept his cool and put on an unbeaten 24-run stand with impact substitute Sameer Rizvi, who hit the winning boundary. Gaikwad is second in the season batting chart behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli (634) with 583 runs including one century and four half-tons.<br /></p>IANS
9/10:Simarjeet stars with ball
<p>Earlier disciplined bowling kept Rajasthan down to a below par total on a slow pitch as Simarjeet Singh returned figures of 3-26 and fellow medium-pace bowler Tushar Deshpande took two wickets.<br /></p>AFP
10/10:Parag continues to shine
<p>Riyan Parag top-scored for Rajasthan with an unbeaten 47. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 24, and Jos Buttler, who made 21, started cautiously but the innings suffered from a lack of partnerships. <br /></p>PTICSK celebrated their win with a lap of honor around the iconic Chepauk Stadium.
During this lap, Dhoni and Raina, two stalwarts of the game, were spotted embracing each other and delighting fans by distributing tennis balls using tennis racquets as souvenirs.
Defending champions CSK, who played their last group match at their home ground in Chennai, are yet to enter the Playoffs.
Chennai is scheduled to host the Qualifier 2 on May 24 and the grand finale on May 26.
