MS Dhoni’s 13-ball 25 couldn’t help Chennai Super Kings as they lost to Royal Challengers Bengluru by 27 runs to get eliminated from IPL 2024 playoffs race.
New Delhi: Bengaluru witnessed both ecstasy and agony on Saturday night. While it was ecstasy for Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bengaluru made the IPL 2024 playoffs, agony came calling for MS Dhoni as the defending champions Chennai Super Kings got eliminated following their 27-run loss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Everyone who glued to the television screens was happy for Virat Kohli, for RCB for the way the Bengaluru-based franchise won six matches on the trot to stage a remarkable comeback.
But what about MS Dhoni? Did he play his final cricket match? Where did Dhoni go after the game? Always known to be a finisher, Dhoni tried his best. His six on the first ball of the final over bowled by Yash Dayal did gave CSK fans around the world a ray of hope. But Dhoni’s dismissal in the very next ball dashed all dreams as the former CSK skipper looked crestfallen in the dugout – something that his teammate and well-wishers hadn’t seen before.
Soon after the final ball was bowled, Dhoni got up from his seat in the dugout to shake hands with the opposition and stood in front of the line. While all the cameras were busy in capturing the wild emotions of Kohli and company, Dhoni quietly took the lane backward without exchanging pleasantries with the likes of Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj and more. The former India captain was nowhere to be seen when both teams shook hands after the game, which is usually a norm in all cricket matches played in the world.
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This loss has really hurt Thala badly 💔
U never see him leave without shaking hands with the opposition.smiling & interacting after a loss !!
Hope he’s fit and back in Anbuden for one last season 🤞
Man needs to end his IPL career on a high !#CskvsRCB#IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/Ao2fg8IZPz
— Vivek Siva (@iamviveksiva) May 19, 2024
Was RCB vs CSK Tie MS Dhoni’s last?
A cool and calm customer of the game, one can barely remember the last time when Dhoni expressed his disappointment on his own game. On Saturday, as soon as his catch was caught by Swapnil Singh at the backward square boundary, Dhoni punched his bat which he normally doesn’t. It indeed speaks how badly Dhoni wanted to win the game and push for playing the final in Chepauk in front his own fans, probably for the one last time.
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Dhoni is Dhoni when it comes to his personal announcements. He is also not someone who would just make a public announcement to grab all the attention. While everybody speculating this to be Dhoni’s last game in cricket, the defeat to RCB will take the man himself some time to settle down.
However, his former teammates Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa don’t feel this was Dhoni’s last. But nobody knows what’s going on in Dhoni’s mind. Co-incidentally, Dhoni’s last Test and ODI for India were interrupted by rains.
Meanwihle, CSK paid tribute to Dhoni with a special video where it shows the love and affection for the former skipper around the country. It also has Dhoni’s voice from the previous editions and his love towards his fans.
