MS Dhoni was seen cutting the cake as CSK were given a rousing welcome in Chennai (CSK Twitter)
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings get rousing welcome in Chennai, fans chant ‘Dhoni Dhoni’ outside team hotel
The Narendra Modi Stadium witnessed a fairy-tale final on May 29, when Chennai Super Kings defeated Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller to lift their fifth IPL title. After the nail-biting victory, the IPL 2023 champions were accorded a rousing welcome at the team hotel where countless fans from Chennai gathered to welcome the cricketers.
Glimpses of the grand celebration were posted on the official Twitter page of the Chennai franchise. In the clip, the men in yellow were seen returning from their stay with fans electrifying the atmosphere with chants of “Dhoni… Dhoni”. All the coaching staff and players entered the hotel dancing to the beat of “Dhol”.
From Ruturaj Gaikwad to Ravindra Jadeja, each and every member of the Chennai unit was captured in the celebratory mood. Jadeja, who was the ship’s skipper at the summit showdown, was seen waving to the fans from the window of the team bus. Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana got the responsibility of carrying the coveted IPL trophy and his teammates followed the youngster’s dance.
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Similarly the view inside the hotel was vigorous. A five-tier cake was arranged to celebrate Chennai Super Kings’ record-equalling five IPL titles. Captain MS Dhoni was seen cutting the special cake surrounded by other players. Even the hotel staff left no stone unturned to make the celebration more glamorous as they were seen clapping during the cake cutting formality.
Rain played an important role in the IPL final. Due to heavy rain on the scheduled date of Sunday, the summit clash had to be postponed until the reserve day. But the rain god delayed the proceedings once again on Monday, forcing the second innings to be reduced to 15 overs.
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Batting first in front of a packed Ahmedabad crowd, Gujarat Titans posted a mammoth score of 214 runs in 20 overs. Sai Sudarshan was largely responsible for the disastrous show as the uncapped Indian batsman scored a blistering 47-ball 96. Opener Wriddhiman Saha also made a notable contribution to the run-fest, scoring 54 off 39 balls.
After play was stopped due to rain ahead of Chennai’s batting, the target was cut down to 171 runs in 15 overs as per the DLS method. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway lit up the atmosphere with their big-hitting, giving Chennai a powerful start to chase down the target. Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu laid the foundation well and kept Chennai in the contest till the last over. In the end, Ravindra Jadeja pulled off a magical performance to secure Chennai’s fifth IPL trophy as they chased down 10 runs in the last two balls.