MS Dhoni is one of the most loved cricketers in the country and it's evident every time he steps out on to the pitch to play. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season opener between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, the defending champions were in trouble at 61/5 when Dhoni walked out to bat in the 11th over. But that did not stop the crowd from giving the former India captain a standing ovation, with his name reverberating around the stadium.
Watch MS Dhoni gets rousing reception at the Wankhede Stadium here:
There was also the added emotion of Dhoni coming out to play for CSK for the first time since relinquishing his captaincy. Two days before the start of the season, he handed over the captaincy of the franchise to Ravindra Jadeja after having skippered them for 12 seasons.
With all the anticipation in the crowd, Dhoni did not disappoint. He hit a brilliant unbeaten 50 to rescue CSK, taking them to a total of 131/5.
He hit seven boundaries and a six in a 70-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja as he hit the first half-century of the IPL season.
However, it wasn't enough to prevent KKR from registering a rather comfortable win.
Ajinkya Rahane's 34-ball 44 helped set KKR's chase up and they won with six wickets to spare, with new captain Shreyas Iyer hitting the winning runs.
Dwayne Bravo picked up two scalps but it wasn't enough given the low total they were defending, even as he levelled with Lasith Malinga for most wickets in the history of the IPL.