'The Kings Victory March': CSK Given Rousing Reception in Chennai With Chants of 'Dhoni', Watch Incredible Scenes

The Narendra Modi Stadium witnessed a fairytale final on May 29 as Chennai Super Kings edged past Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller to take home their fifth IPL title. Following the nail-biting victory, the champions of the IPL 2023 got a rousing reception at the team hotel, where countless Chennai fans gathered to welcome the cricketers.

Glimpses of the glittery celebration were dropped on the official Twitter page of the Chennai franchise. In the clip, the Men in Yellow were seen returning to their stay with fans making the atmosphere electric with a loud “Dhoni…Dhoni” chant. All the coaching staff and players made their way into the hotel while shaking their legs to the beats of “Dhol.”

From Ruturaj Gaikwad to Ravindra Jadeja, each and every member of the Chennai unit was captured in a celebratory mood. Jadeja, who was the sailor of the ship in the summit showdown, was seen waving his hands to the fans from the window of the team bus. Sri Lankan pacer prodigy Matheesha Pathirana got the responsibility to carry the coveted IPL trophy and his teammates followed the youngster dancing.

The scene was similarly emphatic inside the hotel as well. A five-tier cake was arranged to celebrate Chennai Super Kings’ record-equalling five IPL titles. Captain MS Dhoni was seen cutting the special cake while being surrounded by the other players. Even the hotel staff left no stone unturned to make the celebration more engaging as they were seen clapping during the cake-cutting formality.

The rain played a major role in the IPL final. Due to heavy showers on the scheduled date of Sunday, the summit showdown needed to be postponed to the reserve day. But the rain god once again delayed proceedings on Monday, forcing the second innings to get reduced to 15 overs.

Batting first in front of a full-house Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans produced a mammoth 214 runs in 20 overs. Sai Sudarshan was immensely responsible for the devastating show as the uncapped Indian batter played a blazing 96-run knock of 47 deliveries. Opener Wriddhiman Saha also made a notable contribution to the run-fest, scoring 54 off 39 balls.

After the rain halted play ahead of Chennai’s batting, the target was cut down to 171 runs in 15 overs as per the DLS method. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway lit up the atmosphere with their big-hitting prowess, giving Chennai a powerful start to the chase. Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu built on the foundation well and kept Chennai in the contest till the final over. In the end, Ravindra Jadeja put up a magical show, chasing down 10 runs in the final two deliveries to secure Chennai’s fifth IPL trophy.