The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings made history in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final as they defeated defending champions Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller to lift the title for the 'record-equalling' 5th time. It was an emotional moment for fans all across the world as they saw Dhoni lead CSK all the way in what was seen as his last match in the tournament's history. In an emotional video shared by the IPL on Tuesday morning, Dhoni could be seen lifting Ravindra Jadeja in celebration while also acknowledging GT skipper Hardik Pandya for his side's effort. Later, daughter Ziva came and gave Dhoni a big hug, congratulating on the title.
After clinching the title, Dhoni's daughter Ziva was seen lifting the IPL trophy with CSK players, celebrating the gigantic triumph at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Here's the beautiful video, summing up the emotional moments after Ravindra Jadeja's match-winning four.
Jadeja hit 10 runs off the final two balls as Chennai chased down their revised target of 171 in 15 overs with five wickets to spare in a rain-hit final which went past 1.30 am local time Tuesday on a reserve day in Ahmedabad following a washout on Sunday.
New Zealand's Devon Conway led the chase with his 25-ball 47 before cameos from Ajinkya Rahane (27) and Shivam Dube, who hit an unbeaten 32, set the stage for Jadeja's heroics.
Needing 13 off the final over, Mohit Sharma bowled four good balls before Jadeja hit the winning runs to trigger wild celebrations at the world's biggest cricket stadium.
Chennai won the title for the fifth time to go level with Mumbai Indians.
Dhoni kept attracting huge crowds across venues this season and over 80,000 fans cheered the veteran, who had recently said he would take a call on his future later this year, in the final.
Ambati Rayudu also hit a key 19 off eight balls in his last match after he announced his retirement ahead of the final.
Rain forced players off the ground when Chennai were four without loss after three balls of their innings.
The downpour lasted for about 15 minutes but covers came off from one of the pitches which got damp and the groundstaff worked for over two hours to get the field ready for play.
Sai Sudharsan smashed 96 off 47 balls to guide Gujarat, a team that won the crown in their debut season last year in the T20 competition and topped the table in this edition, to 214-4.
With AFP inputs