Legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni received a raucous reception from fans at the airport as he arrived in Madurai on Thursday, October 9. He landed in the city to inaugurate the newly built stadium.Ahead of the inauguration, a sea of fans gathered outside the Madurai airport to watch MS Dhoni and catch a glimpse of the star. The fans went berserk and erupted in a loud cheer as the veteran made his way out. He received a roaring welcome while being escorted out of the airport, surrounded by officials and police staff.Dhoni was seen in his casual attire, wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and sunglasses.Watch the video of his raucous reception, posted by a user on X below: Moreover, the 44-year-old received a grand welcome as he entered the new stadium later on. Inside the stadium, he entered the ground on a red carpet from the boundary area. As he was escorted in, fireworks went off as well. Several fans were gathered inside the stadium as the cheering continued.MS Dhoni got onto a buggy and was shown around the stadium. As a part of the inauguration, he also played a few balls on the main pitch.The new venue in Madurai has been named the Velammal Cricket Stadium. As reported by The Times of India, the Velammal Education Trust and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) collaborated to develop the stadium. The project cost approximately ₹325 crores.While the stadium's present capacity is 7300, it could expand to a 20,000 capacity in the future. The stadium could be seen hosting key domestic tournaments, the Ranji Trophy, and the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2026?The fans in Tamil Nadu love their Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni. While they caught a glimpse of the former CSK captain in Madurai, they will be eager to see him don the yellow jersey once again in IPL 2026.Dhoni was retained for ₹4 crore under the 'uncapped player' category ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions. He even led the side after captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an injury during the early stages. CSK did not have a great season and finished at the bottom.With the bat, MS Dhoni scored 196 runs from 13 innings at an average of 24.50 and a strike-rate of 135.17. While there is no confirmation on his future in the leg yet, it remains to be seen if he will return for CSK next season.