IPL 2026: MS Dhoni steals the show at CSK event, felicitates World Cup winners Samson, Dube and Mhatre

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New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted a special event on Sunday for their fans, bringing former and current players to the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The likes of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Dwayne Bravo, Muttiah Muralitharan, Murali Vijay, Parthiv Patel, S Badrinath and Suresh Raina reunited in Chennai ahead of the IPL 2026.

MS Dhoni stole the show, walking onto the Chepauk on a thundering background music on Sunday afternoon, bringing delight to CSK fans who had bought tickets for the special event. The Academy Award-winning singer and music composer AR Rahman also performed at the special occasion.

A fan broke down in tears when Dhoni walked onto the field to kickstart the training session. CSK honoured their former cricketers as well as the World Cup champions from the current team. Dhoni and Raina received the loudest reception, while Sanju Samson also got a huge roar from the CSK fans. The former and current players then played a few matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

CSK, Dhoni felicitate World Cup champions

The Chennai-based franchise also felicitated three World Champions at the event. Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and young batter Ayush Mhatre received a special memento from the legendary captain MS Dhoni. Sanju and Dube were part of the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad, which defeated New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to lift the title. Ayush Mhatre created history by leading India to their sixth U19 World Cup title in February 2026.

CSK will open their tournament campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on March 30. After that, they will face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 3, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 5, and Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 11.