'That was a big mistake': MS Dhoni reflects back on his most controversial IPL moment

MS Dhoni reflects back on his most controversial IPL moment (BCCI/File Photo)

MS Dhoni is well known for his cool demeanour and is often referred as ‘Captain Cool’ in the cricketing world. However, there have been instances of Dhoni losing his cool during cricketing engagements, which the former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper doesn't shy from admitting.

During an interaction with Mandira Bedi during a promotional event by Mastercard India, Dhoni touched upon an incident, which arguably stands out as one of the most controversial moments of his career. On being asked if he has ever been "tested" or "lost his cool" by Bedi, Dhoni replied "lots of times" and highlighted the incident from the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he walked out to the field to confront the umpires.

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“Yes, lots of times - one of the IPL games, I just walked out to the field — That was a big mistake," said Dhoni. "Other than that also there have been instances where something gets triggered, because we play a sport where the stakes are very high. You're suppose to win every game, you have to manage a lot of things. That's why I say when you're not happy about something, when you're slightly angry or frustrated keep your mouth shut, get away for a while, try taking deeper breaths. It's quite similar to handling pressure, if you can cut yourself from the result aspect it helps. Your emotion should never really affect your decision making," the wicketkeeper-batter added.

What happened in IPL 2019?

During an encounter between CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Dhoni lost his temper at the umpire's decision, which then saw him walk out in the field and confront them.

The incident took place in the fourth delivery of the final over bowled by Ben Stokes as CSK required eight off the last three deliveries. The all-rounder welcomed Mitchell Santner with a full-toss as he joined the proceedings following Dhoni's dismissal.

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Santner managed to gather two runs from the delivery, which was initially signalled no ball by umpire Ulhas Gandhe, who felt the ball was above the batter's waist at the point of contact with the bat. However, square leg umpire Bruce Oxenford, who had a better view, felt otherwise and directed Gandhe to overturn his decision. This reduced the equation to CSK needing 6 runs from 2 balls.

The confusion led to protest from Santner and Ravindra Jadeja, batting at the other end, but Oxenford remained firm with his stance. However, this led to more drama as a furious Dhoni, who had no business in the middle, walked onto the pitch and confronted the umpire. He pointed towards Gandhe and told Oxenford that the umpire had already given it a no ball.

This led to plenty of commotion as the CSK trio and opposition party crowded the umpire, who stuck to their decision.

Interestingly, TV replays did show that Gandhe’s original decision was perhaps correct.

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With the equation dropping to 6 off 2, Stokes conceded another double in the penultimate ball and then bowled a wide. The final ball was then dislodged for a six by Santner as CSK won the match by four wickets.

Was MS Dhoni punished for his actions?

Dhoni, who scored 58 off 43 balls in the match, was docked 50 percent of his match fees for a Code of Conduct breach after committing a Level 2 offence under Article 2.20 of the IPL's Code of Conduct.