Watch: Before another IPL match, MS Dhoni and KL Rahul catch up in Chepauk
Before their IPL match on Tuesday, former Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni and Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul reconnected at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Last Friday, the two teams squared off in Lucknow, with LSG defeating the five-time winners by eight wickets.
Rahul and Dhoni were excellent at their respective responsibilities. First-ball team CSK scored 176 runs with the help of a late flourish from captain Dhoni. With only nine balls, the renowned captain scored a scorching 28 runs.
Rahul scored 82 during the run chase, matching his greatest IPL 2024 innings to far, which enabled his team to successfully chase the target.
Returning to the footage that LSG shared on social media, Rahul and Dhoni can be seen chatting briefly during Monday’s training session in Chennai before exchanging high fives and hugs.
After then, the film cut to a montage of the two, demonstrating how Rahul had followed in Dhoni’s footsteps as well.
Rahul thought of a unique way to thank Dhoni after LSG defeated CSK last week. During their traditional handshake, Rahul removed his headgear.
Coincidentally, Dhoni’s last red-ball cricket match occurred on the same day that Rahul made his debut for India against Australia in the 2014 Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Of course, at the time, Dhoni was leading India as captain.
Stephen Fleming, the coach of CSK, showered Dhoni with adulation before the game. In only seven matches, Dhoni has smashed 87 runs with a strike rate of 255.88 in just 34 balls.
Isn’t that inspirational? Even in preseason training, his hitting has been very sharp this year, Fleming told reporters.
Given that CSK and LSG are playing for the fourth and fifth spots in the IPL 2024 rankings, the outcome of this game will undoubtedly affect the fight for the top four spots. Up to this point, the records of the two clubs have been comparable. After seven games, CSK and LSG are tied on eight points, with the former having a higher net run rate.
