NEW DELHI: There is no iota of doubt that the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni enjoys immense popularity and fandom across the country. And that he keep himself cool and acts normal under the fiery arclights just adds to his aura.
Things were no different at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam the 'home ground' of Delhi Capitals as they took on Chennai Super Kings in the 13th match of IPL 2024 on Sunday.
All eyes were on DC captain Rishabh Pant, who is making a comeback in this tournament after a horrific car accident in December 2022. But the loudest cheers were reserved for MS Dhoni, even though he had relinquished CSK captaincy just before the tournament got underway.
The Indian Premier League's official X handle shared a special Dhoni video on Monday titled: "The aura. The euphoria. The magnanimity. It's MS Dhoni's world and we're just living in it! Vizag treated their favourite with some "yellove"."
Having won their two previous encounters, CSK were playing their third match, registered their first defeat of the tournament. But none of their fans were left disappointed. Reason? Because MS Dhoni batted for the first time in the tournament.
And what a vintage display of brilliant shot-making it was. Dhoni walked in to bat at No. 8 amidst the loudest cheers from the crowd and did not disappoint anyone smashing 3 sixes and 4 fours in his unbeaten 37 off 16 balls.
The blitzkrieg included Dhoni carting DC pacer Anrich Nortje for 20 runs in the last over of the match.
The fans in the south Indian city of Visakhapatnam largely represented CSK as they chanted "Dhoni, Dhoni".
Earlier with the wicket-keeping gloves, when he took the catch of Prithvi Shaw off Ravindra Jadeja's delivery, Dhoni became the first keeper to effect 300 dismissals (213 catches and 87 stumpings) in T20 cricket.
According to Ravi Shastri, Dhoni may be playing his last IPL. But his popularity and fame continues to grow and the chants of "Dhoni, Dhoni" will continue to reverberate in stadiums across the country.
1/10:IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings
PTI
2/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals with his first IPL fifty since his comeback from a car crash, guiding them to a 20-run victory over Chennai Super Kings.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Prithvi Shaw and David Warner
<p>Warner and Prithvi Shaw's opening partnership of 93 set the stage for Delhi before Chennai's bowlers fought back, including Matheesha Pathirana's two strikes in an over.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:David Warner
<p>David Warner's 52 coupled with Captain Pant's 51 off 32 balls, propelled Delhi to 191-5 in Visakhapatnam, their adopted homeground due to the upcoming general elections.<br /></p>PTI
5/10:Matheesha Pathirana
<p>Pathirana, nicknamed "Baby Malinga" for his slinging action and trademark yorkers reminiscent of the former Sri Lankan pace ace Lasith Malinga, finished with figures of 3-31.<br /></p>ANI
6/10:Khaleel Ahmed
<p>Khaleel Ahmed claimed the wickets of CSK openers and returned with bowling figures of 2-21 and was named the Man of the Match.</p>PTI
7/10:Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell
<p>Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Daryl Mitchell (34) stitched together a 68-run partnership in their bid to revive the chase. However, after their dismissals, wickets tumbled in quick succession.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:MS Dhoni
<p>In Visakhapatnam, the crowd largely supported CSK, chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni". The former skipper responded with an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, featuring four fours and three sixes.<br /></p>PTI
9/10:Mukesh Kumar
<p>In his spell of 3 overs, Mukesh Kumar claimed 3 wickets while conceding 21 runs.<br /></p>PTI
