Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell couldn’t believe the crowd's support at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper batter MS Dhoni came to bat during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match on April 8.
Dhoni has led CSK to five IPL titles and it is no surprise that the 42-year-old is loved dearly by the fans in Chennai. Russell was in awe of the crowd support when the former CSK captain came to bat in the last moments of the match.
Russell posted on his Instagram story where he talked about Dhoni’s massive fan following and ended up calling him the most loved cricketer in the world.
“I easily think this man [MS Dhoni] is the most loved cricketer in the world,” Russell wrote.
Not just Russell, CSK’s all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also weighed in on the 42-year-old’s admiration saying that he brings joy to the crowd.
“If the crowd gets a glimpse of Dhoni, they will get their money’s worth,” Jadeja said.
During IPL, Dhoni earlier extended his record of most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20 format to 300 during the IPL 2024 match against Delhi Capitals.
He became the only keeper to record 300 dismissals in this format. The next best record to Dhoni is by Dinesh Karthik and Kamran Akmal - 274.
The dismissal came when the 42-year-old Dhoni caught Prithvi Shaw’s outside edge off Jadeja.
List of most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20s:
1) MS Dhoni - 300
2) Dinesh Karthik - 274
3) Kamran Akmal - 274
4) Quinton de Kock - 270
5) Jos Buttler - 209
Dhoni can arguably be considered the face of CSK, having led the franchise to victory in the IPL trophy a record five times, jointly holding the most wins alongside the Mumbai Indians.
