MS Dhoni is one of the most respected figures in world cricket. However, as a sporting superstar, it’s impossible to avoid controversies entirely, and Dhoni is no exception. In the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, former International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel umpire Daryl Harper accused the Indian cricket legend of time wasting.
Last year, Dhoni, who was in charge of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) found himself in a confrontation with on-field umpires during Qualifier-1 against Gujarat Titans (GT) played at Chennai. The match ended up in favor of CSK by 15 runs as Gujarat Titans could not manage to chase a target of 173.
However, some criticized Dhoni’s antics considering he halted play before the start of the 16th over while GT were chasing him down. He had wanted pacer Matheesha Pathirana to bowl, but umpires informed him that the Sri Lankan bowler had spent nine minutes outside the field and would not be eligible to bowl straight away.
After a long discussion between CSK captain and on-field umpires lasting over four minutes, Pathirana was allowed to bowl 16th over. However, Harper was not amused by how things turned out. Speaking to mid-day he questioned Dhoni’s behavior and commented:
“Dhoni wasted time to allow his preferred bowling option to deliver the vital 16th over. That’s the only conclusion that I can draw from that disappointing spectacle.”
“The issue for me is the lack of respect shown for the spirit of cricket and for the directions of the umpires. There were other [bowling] options for the captain, but they were ignored. Maybe, some people are bigger than the law or in this case, the spirit of cricket. It’s always disappointing to see the lengths that some people will go to in order to win,” he went on to add.
In Qualifier 1, GT was set to chase 173 by CSK, however they were dismissed for 157 as Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja and Pathirana all took two wickets each.
Under MS Dhoni’s leadership, CSK went on to defeat GT in a dramatic IPL 2023 final
Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans faced each other once again for the title at the IPL 2023 final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was an exciting showpiece that had to be played over two days because of rains; CSK managed to beat GT by five wickets (DLS method) off the last delivery of the game.
Gujarat, batting first, posted a total of 214-4, with Sai Sudharsan playing a fantastic knock of 96 from 47 balls. In response to a revised target of 171 in 15 overs, Devon Conway scored 47 off 25. Needing 10 runs from the last two deliveries, Jadeja smashed Mohit Sharma for a six and a four, securing a remarkable victory for CSK.
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