Rising Pune Supergiant in safe hands of ‘Baahubali’ MS Dhoni, say fans
Updated : May 16, 2017 04:46 PM IST
A fan-made video shows Rising Pune Supergiant wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni playing big shots with voice-over provided by movie megastar Prabhas.
As the 2017 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) enters the playoff phase, teams have gone into overdrive with their preparations.
Rising Pune Supergiant take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday in Qualifier 1 and both teams will miss two important English players.
IPL’s highest-earning foreign player Ben Stokes of RPS has been called away by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for a training camp in Spain ahead of a One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
Stokes’ compatriot Jos Buttler of Mumbai Indians has also been called up to the training camp.
However, while the respective franchises figure out how to adjust the balance in their teams, Rising Pune Supergiant fans sure believe that they are in safe hands with former India captain MS Dhoni still a key part of the side.
The only event to take away from the cricket enthusiasm over the course of the IPL season has been the release of the sequel of the film Baahubali series. The second film, titled ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’, was released on April 28 and has gone on to break several box office records.
However, it is the attention that it has received from cricket fans — in particular those who support MS Dhoni — that has seen it reach new levels on social media.
To begin with, an MS Dhoni fan superimposed videos of the former Rising Pune Supergiant skipper over the audio of the Baahubali 2 trailer.
The video clips, cut from Dhoni’s biopic ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, show the wicketkeeper-bastman smashing away deliveries as Baahubali narrates that the person to eliminate him has not yet stepped onto the Earth.
Dhonians — a term used by MS Dhoni fans in identifying themselves — have also used references from the film to create several image memes.
One fan in particular highlighted how supporting Dhoni in Rising Pune Supergiant seemed similar to Baahubali’s name being chanted in a scene in the movie, especially since the former India captain had been replaced by Steve Smith as skipper of the RPS side.
Chanting dhoni's name when Smith is captain of RPS
— raj kumar m (@rajk3510) April 29, 2017
Is similar to chanting baahubali's name in palvaladeva's coronation
Before Rising Pune Supergiant played Kings XI Punjab on May 14, a Dhoni fan drew parallel between his split allegiance and that of Kattapa’s in the movie. Just as Kattapa was undecided whether to support the Baahubali or his kingdom, the Dhoni fan was split between supporting the icon and his home town club.
Today I'm feeling like Katappa. I love Dhoni/Baahubali but Raj Dharam is to support Kings 11 Punjab ? #Baahubali2 #RPSvDD
— Sunderdeep Singh (@SSunderdeep) May 12, 2017
One fan highlighted the performance of “Mahendra Baahubali Dhoni” against Delhi Daredevils on May 12 as the best guide for an upcoming wicketkeeper. Dhoni had two catches and a stumping in the match as delhi Daredevils won by seven runs.
Mahendra Baahubali Dhoni!!!!!!??
— HBD GRACIA?? (@yaminiathota001) May 12, 2017
Best&Biggest guide one can possess to learn wicket keeping ?? #DDvRPS @msdhoni
Going further, a fan compared Dhoni’s fame in India to that of Baahubali in the ancient town of Mahishmati, saying that chants for both names are just as loud as the other.
Baahubali Baahubali..... Dhoni Dhoni..... #MSDhoni #Baahubali #IPL #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/nwAZTfxIyy
— Cricket Trolls (@MycricketTrolls) May 10, 2017