Watch: ‘Tearful’ MS Dhoni goes from ‘eyes closed’ to an emotional wreck as Ravindra Jadeja pulls off a dramatic win

All eyes were on the middle as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needed 10 runs to win off the last two balls of the innings in the IPL 2023 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Only one person’s eyes were closed in the dugout – CSK skipper MS Dhoni.

The former India skipper is the only cricketer to have played in 11 IPL finals, but that did not stop him from being overcome with emotion towards the climax of the match. As soon as Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning boundary, the entire CSK team came out of the dugout except for MS Dhoni.

CSK and IPL shared a video of MS Dhoni’s ‘tears of joy’ as he ran to lift the match-winner Jadeja on his shoulders. Dhoni had tears in his eyes for the first time after the IPL final.

tears of joy#champion5 #WhistlePodu #Yellow ,pic.twitter.com/jf05fszEDA– Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 30, 2023

Jadeja smashed a 6-ball 15, including 10 runs in the last two balls to guide CSK to their fifth IPL title in 14 seasons. The CSK all-rounder and skipper Dhoni have had a rocky relationship since the IPL 2022 season, when Jadeja had to relinquish the captaincy of the franchise midway through the season due to a string of poor results.

However, after the IPL 2023 final, Jadeja dedicated the win to a ‘special member of the CSK side’ – MS Dhoni. “I’m from Gujarat, and it’s a special feeling. This crowd has been amazing. They waited till late night for the rain to stop, I want to say a big congratulations to the CSK fans who came out to support us.

“I would like to dedicate this win to a special member of the CSK side, MS Dhoni. I was just thinking that I need to swing as hard as I can. I wasn’t thinking about where the ball was going, just trying to swing hard. I was backing myself and looking to hit straight, because I know Mohit can bowl those slower balls,” he said.

CSK batting coach and former Australia batsman Michael Hussey termed MS Dhoni as a ‘wonderful human being’. “Dhoni is an amazing person. A good example is, in the qualifiers, he was telling Senapati to calm down, and he got us a crucial run out,” Hussey said of Dhoni.