"Thala is back!"- Fans erupt as 'vintage' MS Dhoni smashes 50 against KKR in IPL 2022

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni was at his vintage best against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening game of the IPL 2022 season on Saturday. The 40-year-old scored 50 runs off just 38 balls to give the defending champions something to bowl at.

Fans on Twitter were a bit disappointed to see CSK score just 131 runs in their 20 overs. But at the same time, they were ecstatic to see their beloved 'Thala' finally score that elusive fifty after 28 innings.

Here are some of the reactions:

MS Dhoni's 50 still doesn't put CSK out of danger

KKR had no hesitation in bowling first as they wanted to make full use of the fresh pitch. Pacer Umesh Yadav made the new ball talk and made it difficult for openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway to get off to a good start.

After losing Gaikwad early for a duck, Robin Uthappa looked to counter-attack and give the CSK innings some much-needed impetus. However, spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine spun a web, with the former dismissing Uthappa just when he was looking set for a big score.

Ambati Rayudu looked in fine touch as well and was scoring runs at a brisk pace, but an unfortunate run-out led to his undoing. Even Shivam Dube couldn't do much and it was down to CSK's most experienced duo of MS Dhoni and skipper Ravindra Jadeja to resurrect their innings.

Both Dhoni and Jadeja struggled to get going. KKR bowlers piled the pressure on them through some excellent bowling. MS Dhoni did get a few boundaries towards the end of the innings, but overall, the defending champions will be a bit disappointed having posted what seems to be a below-par total.

CSK bowlers will need to bowl out of their skin on what looks like a good wicket for batting. KKR will be confident of chasing the total down, but a good start would still be of paramount importance for them.