Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni made a gracious gesture by asking Ambati Rayudu to accept the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 trophy. Ravindra Jadeja was also present when the trophy was presented to CSK.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 29, Chennai defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets (DLS method). Sai Sudharsan top-scored for GT with a 47-ball 96, was sent into bat after losing the toss, and helped the team reach 214/4.
The revised target for CSK was 171 runs in 15 overs following a protracted rain delay. Before the final, Rayudu, who had announced his IPL retirement, made a pivotal cameo with 19 off 8 balls.
After that, Jadeja hit the final two balls of the IPL 2023 championship game for sixes and fours to lead Chennai to a storied victory with 10 needed off of the final two deliveries.
When it was his turn to receive the winner’s trophy from BCCI President Roger Binny and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah at the post-match presentation ceremony, Dhoni urged Rayudu and Jadeja to go with him.
On behalf of CSK, Ambati Rayudu accepts the IPL 2023 trophy
𝗖.𝗛.𝗔.𝗠.𝗣.𝗜.𝗢.𝗡.𝗦! 🏆
Chennai Super Kings Captain MS Dhoni receives the #TATAIPL Trophy from BCCI President Roger Binny and BCCI Honorary Secretary @JayShah 👏👏 #CSKvGT | #Final | @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/WP8f3a9mMc
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2023
Jadeja put a hand on the trophy as Rayudu was beaming and took it. Dhoni was unassuming and enjoyed observing the action from a distance. Later, additional CSK participants joined in on the festivities.
Whether Dhoni will play in the IPL in 2024 is dependent on his physical condition. It all depends on how his body prepares for the challenge, he said during the post-match presentation. Dhoni outlined:
“As you can see from the circumstances, now is the best time for me to make my retirement announcement. The simple response for me would be to say “Thank you very much,” though, given the amount of love and affection I’ve received wherever I’ve been this year. To work hard for an additional nine months, return, and participate in at least one more IPL season is difficult for me”.
“I will make my decision in six to seven months, and it will be more of a gift from me to the fans; a lot will depend on the body. Although it’s not simple for me, I have to do it for them because of the way they’ve shown their love and affection”.
In 2020, Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket. But he has continued to captain CSK in the IPL, leading them to victories in 2021 and 2023.
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