Saturday night's match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore was touted as the 'Last Dance'. MS Dhoni and Virat in the sense that this will probably be the last time she Kohli will share the field together. Since it was a de facto knockout match, victory for one meant heartbreak for the other. Usually it's easy to choose one or the other, but in this case, even the most genuine and truest cricket fan was torn. If CSK wins, it will mean another year of despair for Kohli, and if RCB emerges victorious, it will be the great man's last appearance in cricket. It was a double-edged sword and in the end it became ecstasy for Kohli and agony for Dhoni as RCB defeated CSK by 27 runs to reach their ninth IPL playoffs.
When Ravindra Jadeja couldn't get the ball to hit his bat when he needed 10 balls to get two, Dhoni sat devastated in the dugout, perhaps knowing this was his limit. However, it was Dhoni's behavior after the match that put a big question mark over his future. IPL 2024 was always believed to be Dhoni's white-hot song. He hinted at it last year as well, and he promised to return for at least one more season to give back the love to his fans. Only this time, the ending wasn't perfect.
After RCB's victory, Dhoni stood up in the dugout and prepared to shake hands with his opponents. But when RCB's emotional celebrations were in full swing and it took time to put it together, Dhoni turned his back on him and walked away. Dhoni shook hands with some of the substitutes and support staff in the dugout, but he quietly disappeared without exchanging pleasantries with the likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Mohammed Siraj. That was evident when Kohli and the others shook hands with everyone in the CSK camp, except Dhoni, who was missing and nowhere to be seen. Is this it? Will this be the last we see of this great man?
Watch MS Dhoni quietly walk away below.
Did MS Dhoni play his last IPL match?
If so, the ending of Dhoni's IPL and professional cricketing career could not have been more defiant. Dhoni, who is known for finishing matches, played for CSK till the last over. Needing 17 balls in the final over, Dhoni smoked Yash Dayal for a monster six of over 110 metres, but could not get any distance in the next over, hitting 3 fours off 13 balls. He smashed six balls and was sent off after 25 pitches. Dhoni's expression of disappointment, hitting his bat at the wrong time (something he rarely does) indicates that perhaps it was really his hot seat. But if there's one thing the world has come to know about Dhoni, it's that you never know.
Even if it ends, don't expect it to be announced anytime soon. If he does indeed ride off into the sunset, he won't be able to steal the spotlight from the four teams that have fought so hard, through sweat and tears, to make the playoffs. Some former cricketers, including Dhoni's close friend Suresh Raina, feel that Dhoni is not done yet and that he will return next year. CSK is him, he is CSK.And yes, the baton has been passed to Ruturaj Gaikwad, but Chennai may need more of Dhoni's input next year unless Gaikwad molds into a finished product as captain
But who knows what's going on inside that mad scientist's head? By pure coincidence, Dhoni's last Test matches against Australia in Sydney and an ODI against New Zealand in Manchester were interrupted by rain. So… if you know, you know.
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