The Wankhede Stadium played host to a turnaround that not many had expected as the Mumbai Indians took on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday. Meanwhile, Shivam Dube was going hammer and tongs for CSK, sending the ball all across the park, with Daryl Mitchell doing his bit in the late overs. There wasn't a player in yellow whom the crowd yearned for. It was a cheer filled with eagerness, and it erupted when Mitchell miscued a shot towards long-on, for it could mean only one man was coming in: MS Dhoni.
In his 250th match for CSK, Dhoni emerged from the away dressing room to bat—such a rare sight in IPL 2024. He contributed an impact contribution of 20 runs off just four deliveries to help CSK march home with a 4th win this season over the Mumbai Indians by 20 runs. In the 20th over, the belligerent Dhoni innings saw three back-to-back sixes before he managed a couple of runs on the penultimate ball to finish with a flurry.
Prior to Dhoni's onslaught, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad had shown the way with a fluent 69 off 40 balls, and Shivam Dube added finishing touches with a quickfire 66 off 38 balls.
The Wankhede Stadium has a special memory for MS Dhoni. This is one that reminds him of the memorable innings he played during the 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka, when he hit the winning six. A replica of the World Cup trophy and a photograph of the winning team mark the exact spot where the ball landed. Celebrities took to Twitter to express their joy and share the proud moments of watching a triumphant Dhoni.
That was a really thrilling game by the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, which was just that and showed exactly why Dhoni has one of the best legacies in the history of the game.
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024
— 𝐁east⁷ (@Beast_xx_) April 14, 2024