IPL 2023: 'Mahi Mania' at Chepauk as MS Dhoni Walks Out to Bat in CSK's Win Over DC - WATCH

Chennai Super Kings earned a decisive victory over visitors Delhi Capitals on Wednesday as the four-time IPL champions registered a 27-run win over the capital city club at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the IPL 2023.

The cultural core of the CSK unit is held together by the raucous, adoring fans in the South Indian city, who harbour immense passion towards their beloved club and the unquestionable face of the side, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

Every time the World Cup winner walks out to bat, the Chennai faithful let their pleasure known with loud ovations, chaotic screams of adulation and their trademark whistles.

I’ve never witnessed anything like this at a cricket stadium, MS Dhoni walking out to bat on his home turf. The crowd even celebrated the previous wicket to just get him to the crease.

Dhoni walked in to bat at 126 for the loss of 6 wickets in the 17th over as he took the place of the most recently ousted batsman Ambati Rayudu. The crowd went into a state of delirium, as always.

And to make the scene even more poetic, the background score playing as the captain walked in was the title track of the 1999 super hit Rajinikanth-starred ‘Padayappa’, a cultural phenomenon in itself.

‘Thala’, as he is fondly known, produced a brilliant cameo that oozed elements of his trademark power-hitting capabilities as he scored 20 off 9 deliveries to help CSK post a total of 167 for the loss of 8 wickets at the end of 20 overs.

Chennai’s Sri Lankan bowler Matheesha Pathirana was once again amongst the wickets as he scalped three Delhi batsmen on the day, while Deepak Chahar picked up two and Ravindra Jadeja ended the night with a solitary scalp to his name.

Chennai solidified their position at the second spot in the league standings with the win, which takes them to 15 points from 12 games this season.