Season number 16 of the Indian Premier League got off to a great start last night at the World’s Largest cricket stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Chennai Super Kings took on reigning champions Gujarat Titans for the opening game of the season.
GT won the fixture by 5 wickets on their opening home game but it did not seem as if CSK was the away team. It looked as if there were more CSK fans than Gujarat Titans and we all know the reason why. There was a sea of yellow among the Gujarat Titans supporters who roared through some of CSK’s big moments at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the IPL 2023 season opener.
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And the majority of those featured one man, and one man only, the legendary MS Dhoni, the only player who glued both teams’ supporters as the Ahmedabad crowd cheered through his knock and sighed at his missed chances.
However, it was Dhoni’s six during his entertaining cameo of 14 runs in seven balls that really stuck out. Joshua Little, a former CSK net bowler who Gujarat acquired at the 2023 mini-auction, delivered a back of a length delivery that went down middle stump to Dhoni. The CSK captain fiercely crossed his bat and smashed it high and over deep square leg for a massive six.
The audience undoubtedly roared the loudest and went absolutely bonkers. But those at home, who were glued to their television sets rather than their phones or laptops, were treated to mind-blowing commentary on that six from Ravi Shastri, which undoubtedly brought them flashbacks to the 2011 World Cup.
“The house has come down here with that six. So used to seeing sixes from Dhoni. And the 100,000-plus crowd will say that they have got their money’s worth with that just one shot. We have seen enough from Ruturaj Gaikwad but this was a Paisa Vasool shot.”
