The atmosphere at MA Chidambaram Stadium reached a fever pitch on Monday night as MS Dhoni graced the field during Chennai Super Kings’ decisive seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Dhoni, making his first appearance in front of the home crowd in this year’s tournament, received a thunderous ovation as he strode out with CSK needing seven runs to seal the win from 19 balls. The uproar was so deafening that even Kolkata Knight Riders’ Andre Russell, stationed at the square leg boundary, had to close his ears from the sound of the crowd.
Broadcasters measured the noise level inside the stadium at a staggering 125 decibels the moment Dhoni emerged from the CSK dressing room.
Prior to Dhoni’s entrance, Ravindra Jadeja playfully teased the Chepauk crowd by momentarily stepping ahead of him, eliciting laughter from the CSK dugout.
Having relinquished his captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhoni had yet to bat at CSK’s home ground before Monday’s match. Opting to field first after winning the toss, Chennai’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja applied pressure on Kolkata’s batting lineup, restricting them to 137-9 with figures of 3-18 in the middle overs.
Captain Gaikwad then guided Chennai to victory, scoring an unbeaten 67 off 58 balls and steering the chase alongside Daryl Mitchell, who contributed 25 runs in their 70-run partnership for the second wicket.
Russell's reaction is Gold. 😄👌
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 8, 2024
– The Craze for Dhoni….!!!!!pic.twitter.com/r7iePy96Op
