The ongoing season of IPL 2023 has been a remarkable one for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), captained by MS Dhoni. In the previous year, CSK had a disappointing performance and secured the ninth position in the points table with only four victories in 14 games. However, this year, Chennai Super Kings has already won five matches and currently holds the top position in the points table.
With the reintroduction of the home-and-away format in the league stage of IPL, MS Dhoni‘s fans have come out in large numbers to support Chennai Super Kings in every match. Even at the home stadiums of rival teams, the cricket universe has witnessed a sea of yellow, which is the dominant color of CSK. The seats at various venues in Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai have been filled with enthusiastic fans who are eager to watch MS Dhoni play for one last time.
Some fans have gone to extraordinary lengths to watch MS Dhoni bat at the stadium this season. Here’s a list of three such devoted fans.
1) Fan of MS Dhoni sells his bike and travels to Bengaluru from Goa to watch him play
During Chennai Super Kings’ recent match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the venue was filled with a sea of yellow jerseys, with a few fans wearing red RCB jerseys as well. One of MS Dhoni’s crazy fans had come all the way from Goa to Bengaluru to watch the match and support his team.
The fan had a poster that detailed his journey to the stadium, stating that he had sold his bike to pay for the expensive tickets to the IPL 2023 match. The tickets for matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium are among the costliest this season. His poster stated, “I sold my bike just to see Thala Dhoni. All the way from Goa.”
MS Dhoni came in to bat in the 20th over of the CSK innings against RCB and scored one run off one ball.
2) Fan requests Ravindra Jadeja to lose his wicket so that MS Dhoni can come out to bat
During the recent match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, a humorous poster caught the attention of the fans in the stands. This season, MS Dhoni has placed himself lower in the batting lineup than Ravindra Jadeja, which has resulted in fans eagerly waiting for Jadeja to get out, hoping that Dhoni will come in to bat.
A fan in the stands at the Eden Gardens had a funny poster that read, “Jaddu, Can you please lose your wicket on the first ball? We want to see Mahi.” This poster humorously expressed the fans’ eagerness to see Dhoni bat, even if it means wishing for Jadeja to get out early.
3) Fan ditches his exams to watch MS Dhoni bat
During the match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, a devoted fan from Maharashtra caught the attention of the crowd with a heartfelt poster that read, “I dropped my sem exam for Mahi bhai. The exam can be given next year but Mahi bhai will not be playing next IPL. Love from Maharashtra.”
Although MS Dhoni has not made any official announcement about his retirement, there is speculation among fans that he may retire from the IPL after the 2023 season. Chennai Super Kings will be playing their next match against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 27.
