Chennai: MS Dhoni, one of the finest finishers of all time, went under scanner last night on Wednesday when the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper was batting at the end of the innings against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
The CSK wicket-keeper batter, who has been brilliant with the bat in the IPL 2024, faced PBKS left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh for the last over and surprisingly denied his teammate Daryl Mitchell a single on one of the deliveries. With four balls remaining in the over, Daryl Mitchell was left in a quandary as he had to run the entire length of the pitch on his own after MS Dhoni chose not to take a run. A slow-motion replay even showed Dhoni screaming at Mitchell to scamper back.
This led to Mitchell, who is known for his power hitting, walk back to the dressing room without even facing a single delivery in the final over. Incidentally, MS Dhoni was run out on the last ball of the over while trying to take a double.
"By denying a single to Daryl Mitchell…Dhoni proves he is the most selfish cricketer. Thala for a reason," a user on X wrote, while another said, "Daryl Mitchell being a good finisher is not even a question here. But refusing a single like this was one of the worst and most humiliating ways I have ever seen in cricket. That poor guy literally ran two."
While Dhoni was facing brickbats from the fans on social media, the rival team Punjab Kings also joined the party after registering their fifth win in a row against the defending champions in the IPL. The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Punjab Kings, was particularly active as the Kings had a dominant performance and continued to engage in regular banter about pop culture references relating to Chennai, MS Dhoni, etc.
When Dhoni was dismissed in the CSK's innings, the Kings' official X account wrote, “Dhoni was our 7th wicket today! Thala for a reason!”
After the win, the Kings used the meme again, this time to refer to their position in the league table. “Our position in the points table! Thala for a reason!”
Talking about the match, CSK finished their innings at 162 for 7, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring 62 off 42 balls, while no other CSK batter could leave a mark in the game. For Punjab, Jonny Bairstow scored 46 runs in the chase while Rilee Rossouw played a knock of 43 runs and they powered PBKS to seven-wicket victory.
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