Chennai, July 23: A long wait ended on Saturday evening (July 22) when fans welcomed back Mahendra Singh Dhoni to Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium on the opening day of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). And he did not disappoint as he smashed a hat-trick of sixes.
Indian Premier League's (IPL) most successful captain Dhoni had missed out on leading Chennai Super Kings for two years since the franchise was banned from the 9th and 10th editions along with Rajasthan Royals (RR). During this time, Dhoni played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).
Despite the suspension, CSK's loyal fans kept waiting to see the yellow brigade again. And this time, it was fulfilled by TNPL. Dhoni returned to CSK's home ground and fans celebrated it at the venue and also on social media.
Before the start of the second season of TNPL, a six-hitting contest was planned with Dhoni, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden and others participating. Dhoni smashed 3 consecutive sixes and the crowd at Chepauk's stadium went berserk.
@ChennaiIPL Those 3 super sixes frm our thala @msdhoni#Csk planned really #SuperSurprise
— SaiSriMourya (@SaiSriMourya) July 23, 2017
I'm frm Hyderabad. pl plan Something even fr us pic.twitter.com/4G7RTVmvCv
Dhoni's sixes created a buzz on social media too. Many CSK fans took to the micro-blogging website Twitter to celebrate Dhoni's sixes.
The six-hitting contest saw batsmen facing a bowling machine. Dhoni was wearing his CSK number 7 jersey.
Love the way @ChennaiIPL shows its respect towards this legend. Love you lots CSK for this reason ❤#ThalaInChepauk #Whistlepodu pic.twitter.com/vmNhl8nAKp
— Vishnu (@js__vishnu) July 22, 2017
Dhoni said it was his first time in two years at the ground and he thanked the fans for the support to CSK.
"A lot of fans are waiting for the team to come and play at Chepauk. Today, at the opening ceremony (of TNPL), we may get a glimpse of that. This is the first time I am coming back to the ground after two years, so I think it will be pretty interesting," said Dhoni.
After two years of waiting, it was a memorable Saturday for CSK fans.
Thala is back! #whistlepodu #ThalaInChepauk #SuperSaturday #TNPL2 pic.twitter.com/yBn4UHHuja
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) July 22, 2017
OneIndia News