MS Dhoni, renowned for his calm demeanour and composed leadership on the cricket field, had a rare moment of anger during a 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The incident, which became a major talking point among fans, unfolded in the final over of the match when Dhoni was dismissed and the team was chasing 152 on a difficult Jaipur track.
‘Angry’ MS Dhoni: What did transpire?
The turning point came when a slower full-toss from Ben Stokes to Mitchell Santner appeared to be high enough for a no-ball. Despite the no-ball buzzer sounding and the umpire initially indicating a no-ball, he later reversed his decision. Dhoni, visibly upset by the umpiring call, stepped onto the field to express his discontent. His actions led to a heated exchange with the umpires and a subsequent fine for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct.
Mohit Sharma, a former CSK player, played 4 seasons with the franchise. Mohit witnessed the incident firsthand, and recently shared his account of the events in an interaction on a YouTube channel ‘2 Sloggers’. He described how Dhoni’s anger was palpable, even had the players on their feet.
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“Hum log dugout mein the, hum chilla rahe the, mat jao, mat jao, mat jao. Lekin unhone peeche mud ke dekha bhi nahi. Voh aise gaye hain na, jab laga ki bhai sher ghus gaya hai (We were in the dugout and we were like ‘Please don’t go, don’t go’. But he didn’t even look behind. The way he went out on the field, then everyone was like that lion has entered the ground.)”
“He had just got out and was already furious. He wanted to be in there because generally, he doesn’t leave it to others. He came, sat and all of a sudden, the incident happened. He asked, ‘Did he give it a no-ball?’ We were like, ‘Yeah, he did signal.’ Then he just didn’t stop. When he returned, he asked me to bring the laptop. Then the video analyst showed him the video and he was like, ‘it was a no-ball,’” Mohit added.
It must be noted that MS Dhoni later accepted that he made a mistake by going on the field. Dhoni, who ultimately won the MOTM for his 58 in that game, admitted to the Level 2 offence under Article 2.20 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct and accepted the sanction. Article 2.20 deals with “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” and “is intended to cover all types of conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere” in the IPL’s Code of Conduct.
