"Might Have Got Out First Ball But...": India Great On MS Dhoni's Duck In IPL Final

Chennai Super Kings engraved their name in the history of IPL after they defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets to lift their fifth title on Sunday. Chasing a revised target of 171 in 15 overs due to the DLS method, CSK clinched the victory on the very last ball as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja smashed a boundary to take his side across the line. However, one thing during the summit clash which left the fans utterly disappointed was the golden duck dismissal of MS Dhoni. Almost every cricket fan wanted to witness Dhoni's iconic helicopter shot but their hopes were crushed by Mohit Sharma, who removed the CSK skipper on the very first delivery.

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar stated that if Dhoni would have hit the winning shot then it would have been like a "cherry on the top".

"If he had been there to hit the winning runs, it would have been like a cherry on the top. But at the end of the day, being the team man that he is, he would be very happy. He might have got out first ball, but his team went on to win the title and at the end of the day, that's all that matters," said Gavaskar on Sports Tak.

"Whether you score hundreds, take five wickets if your team loses, there is no fun. But if you score zero or might be smashed for 40-50 runs, if your team wins, that is huge," he added. 

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.

Ravindra Jadeja struck a six and a four off 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.

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.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Chennai Super Kings Gujarat Titans MS Dhoni Sunil Gavaskar Mohit Sharma IPL 2023 Cricket