Cricket fans you missed a treat if you skipped the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) versus Mumbai Indians (MI) clash! Yeah CSK won and all but the real entertainment happened AFTER the match. Picture this: MS Dhoni legend and all-around cool guy playfully "attacking" Deepak Chahar with his bat! Seriously it was epic and we have all the juicy details for you.
From Sledging to 'Bat Therapy': Deepak Chahar Tries to Rile Up Dhoni Gets a Taste of 'Thala's' Humor Instead!
So here's the backstory: Deepak Chahar who used to be a CSK player and is now rocking the Mumbai Indians jersey tried to get under Dhoni's skin. When Dhoni walked out to bat with CSK super close to winning Chahar being the cheeky player he is gestured that he would be fielding super close to Dhoni like right up in his face! He even clapped for Dhoni all loud – classic friendly sledging you know?
But guess what? Dhoni being Dhoni just took it all in stride. He's seen it all heard it all. The real fun started after CSK sealed the victory. During the traditional handshake line-up Dhoni waited for Chahar and then bam! He playfully whacked Chahar with his bat! It was all in good fun super light-hearted but totally hilarious. The cameras caught it all and the internet went wild. Fans are loving this moment of pure sportsmanship and bromance between these two cricket buddies.
CSK Triumphs Over MI in Thrilling Encounter: Ravindra and Gaikwad Shine But Dhoni's Cameo Still Steals Hearts
Okay okay let's talk about the actual match for a bit too! Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by four wickets. It was a chase scene with CSK needing to score 156 runs and they managed it with just five balls to spare. The hero of the chase was Rachin Ravindra this New Zealand player who was picked over Devon Conway in the team. Ravindra smashed an amazing unbeaten 65 runs off just 45 balls and was named Player of the Match. Talk about a debut!
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also played a fantastic innings scoring 53 runs off 26 balls batting at number 3 instead of his usual opening spot. Even though Mumbai Indians put up a decent fight their total of 155 for nine just wasn't enough against a strong CSK batting lineup. For MI Deepak Chahar actually had a good debut scoring a quickfire 25 runs off 12 balls batting way down at number 9 and even taking a wicket. So Chahar did his bit for Mumbai even if they lost.
And Dhoni? Well he only faced two balls at the end and didn't score. BUT let's be real every Dhoni appearance is gold. The crowd at Chepauk went absolutely crazy when he walked out to bat even for those two balls! Rachin Ravindra finished the game off with a six in the first ball of the final over so Dhoni didn't even need to score but his presence alone was enough to send fans into a frenzy. Plus Dhoni being Dhoni was his usual sharp self behind the wickets stumping out MI captain Suryakumar Yadav with lightning speed.
Mumbai Indians Opening Game Curse Continues: 13th Straight Loss But Dhoni-Chahar Banter Wins the Internet
Poor Mumbai Indians. This loss means they have now lost their opening game for the 13th time in a row in IPL seasons! Their last opening game win was way back in 2012. That's a tough streak to break. Even with Suryakumar Yadav leading the team in place of Hardik Pandya the result didn't change. Maybe next year Mumbai?
On the flip side Chennai Super Kings have really dominated Mumbai Indians in recent times. Since the second half of IPL 2021 CSK has won six out of the seven head-to-head matches against MI. Looks like Chennai has Mumbai's number right now.
But honestly who is really thinking about losing streaks when you have MS Dhoni playfully hitting Deepak Chahar with a bat after the match? That moment is pure gold. It shows the respect the camaraderie and the fun side of cricket. Forget the scoreline for a minute the Dhoni-Chahar "bat treatment" is the real highlight of this match and is going to be talked about for ages!
Key Highlights from the CSK vs MI IPL 2025 Match:
- CSK defeated MI by 4 wickets in a thrilling chase.
- Rachin Ravindra (CSK) was Player of the Match for his unbeaten 65 runs.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) scored a half-century (53 runs).
- Deepak Chahar (MI) impressed with both bat (25 runs) and ball (1 wicket).
- MS Dhoni stumped Suryakumar Yadav and playfully hit Deepak Chahar with his bat after the match.
- Mumbai Indians lost their 13th consecutive opening game in IPL history.
- CSK has won 6 of the last 7 matches against MI since IPL 2021.