MAY 29, 2023
Under the stewardship of the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings embellished their already fabulous record in the IPL with a fifth title triumph, beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in a thrilling summit showdown in Ahmedabad on Monday. Dhoni has been the cynosure of all eyes ever since the Indian Premier League began this year and in a fitting end to the finale, the captain finished with a record-levelling fifth trophy.
Following this feat, CSK’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja dedicated the IPL 2023 championship to Dhoni. Jadeja struck a six and a four off GT pacer Mohit Sharma in the final two balls to win it for CSK and even as the players in the yellow jersey run onto the field, Dhoni remained in the dugout, his eyes closed.
“We did it for ONE and ONLY “MS DHONI.🏆 mahi bhai aapke liye toh kuch bhi…❤️❤️” wrote Jadeja in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
B Sai Sudharsan slammed 96 in 47 balls as Gujarat Titans posted 214 for four after being asked to bat first. Set a revised target of 171 in 15 overs after rain interrupted play at the start of the second innings of a final that was pushed to the reserve day owing to heavy downpour, CSK completed the task in the last ball, in what could turn out to be Dhoni’s final outing in the T20 league.
Neither the juggernaut of the Gujarat Titans nor bad weather for two days could stop Dhoni’s men from drawing level with their arch rivals Mumbai Indians, in terms of most IPL trophy wins. It remains to be seen whether Dhoni would return to lead CSK once again next year or not, as the entire IPL and even the final was all about Dhoni-mania.
