“He might have felt that I couldn’t fulfil my responsibility,” CSK CEO on MS Dhoni’s golden duck in IPL 2023 final

The CSK skipper was dismissed by Mohit Sharma for a first-ball duck in the IPL 2023 final.

Last month, MS Dhoni added another feather to his illustrious cap as he led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a record-equalling fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title.

CSK defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets (DLS method) to lift the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

It was a rain-marred affair, in which GT piled up a massive 214/4 in their allotted 20 overs and CSK chased down the revised target of 171 on the final delivery of their allotted 15 overs.

While Dhoni played a key role in Chennai’s IPL 2023 triumph, he had a forgetful outing with the bat in the summit clash. The Super Kings skipper came out to bat at No.6 with his team needing 22 runs off 14 balls. Usually, he finishes off such tasks with ease but fell for a first-ball duck on this occasion.

Dhoni tried to play a lofted shot through the off side against Mohit Sharma but didn’t get the desired connection as David Miller took a simple catch inside the circle.

Weeks after the game, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said that Dhoni probably felt bad about not finishing the game by himself in the final.

“When 21 were required off 14 balls, when Rayudu got us to that position, I think MS Dhoni might have felt bad when he was dismissed on the first ball he faced. He would have finished the match. Given his skillset, he would have finished the game in style. But when he was dismissed, probably he might have felt that ‘I couldn’t fulfil my responsibility.’ He might have felt ‘What if we lose from here having come so close’. We all knew Jadeja was there, but still,” Viswanathan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

With 13 needed off the final over, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (15* off 6) smashed Mohit’s last two deliveries for a six and a boundary to seal the title for CSK.

Talking about Jadeja’s match-winning knock, the CSK CEO said: “When 10 were needed off the final two balls and Jadeja hit the six, which was very difficult to hit, we had faith. Because defending the winning runs off the final ball is definitely tough be it any bowler. But Jadeja as usual capitalised and it was a dream come true for CSK. That is one of the reasons why Dhoni also showed his emotions.”