IPL 2024 - From cheers to silence as MS Dhoni departs for a DUCK; CSK fans in shock

Certainly not what MS Dhoni fans were expecting at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala! While they came to see the 'Thala' play and hit sixes for fun in Match 53 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, all that turned into disappointment after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter was bowled for a golden duck by Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Harshal Patel. 

ALSO READ | IPL 2024 - Shimron Hetmyer smashes 106m SIX, his expression goes viral

The fans, who were cheering despite wickets falling for CSK, were solely concerned about Dhoni's arrival at the crease. However, the yellow army was silenced by Harshal Patel, who had his arms aloft in celebration, albeit with muted cheers. 

The Dhoni army was seen covering their faces in horror as the man they came to watch departed for a golden duck. It was a superb slower ball off-cutter on the stumps that deceived Dhoni, who had no clue and tried to bring his bat down. However, the ball dipped and went past the leg-side swipe, pegging back the off-stump. PBKS' fans, however, loved it, with co-owner Preity Zinta breaking into a big, blushing smile. 

As for the clash, PBKS managed to restrict CSK to 167 runs and took 9 wickets in the 20 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was the highest scorer with 43 off 26, while skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 32 off 21, followed by Daryl Mitchell with 30 off 19. Moeen Ali (17 off 20), Shardul Thakur (17 off 11), and Mitchell Santner (11 off 11) made some contributions, while Ajinkya Rahane (9 off 7) and Shivam Dube (0 off 1) did not fare as well.

Punjab, who were playing at their second home, saw Harshal Patel and Rahul Chahar both take three wickets each while Arshdeep Singh picked two. Stand-in skipper Sam Curran also had one to his name.

Teams:

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Impact Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Rishi Dhawan

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Richard Gleeson, Tushar Deshpande

Impact Subs: Sameer Rizvi, Simarjeet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki