IPL 2023: Sunil Gavaskar rushes towards CSK’s lap of honour to get MS Dhoni’s autograph

MS Dhoni and Sunil Gavaskar. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema)

Chennai Super Kings lost by six wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023 on Sunday, May 14, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The MS Dhoni-led side failed to seal their place in the playoffs and now will need to win their last fixture against Delhi Capitals on Saturday, May 20, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. 

Despite seeing their team lose, the fans at the stadium got their money’s worth as Dhoni took a lap around the stadium to thank the fans for their support throughout this season. Notably, it was CSK’s last home game of the season, and the CSK captain was seen throwing balls and other goodies in the crowd for his fans.

As Dhoni was taking a round, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar who was analysing the game during a post-match show on the air, ran from the front of the camera to meet the ‘Captain Cool’ and took his autograph on his shirt. The batting legend gave Dhoni his blessings, and the duo hugged each other in a heartwarming moment for the fans. 

Meanwhile, there are two more games scheduled to take place in Chennai this IPL season, namely Qualifier 1 and Eliminator. Hence, if CSK manage to qualify for the playoffs, irrespective of their position in the points table, they will get one more chance to play in front of their home ground.

Fans still speculating if it’s Dhoni’s last season

Ahead of the season, there were widespread talks of this being the last of the ‘Captain Cool’ as he has earlier mentioned that he would like to play his last game in front of his home crowd in Chennai. With playoffs also scheduled to take place in Chennai, the fans are hoping for CSK to clinch their fifth title and give a winning farewell to Dhoni if he decides to hang up his boots at the end of the season.

Coming back to the match, after opting to bat first, CSK posted a fighting score of 144/6 on a slow track courtesy of a valiant knock from Shivam Dube 48* off 34. In reply, KKR comfortably chased down the target in 18.3 overs with Nitish Rana (57* off 44) and Rinku Singh (54 off 43) scoring brilliant half-centuries.