MS Dhoni wins hearts with warm gesture for opposition player after KKR vs CSK IPL 2025 match [Watch]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni won fans' hearts with a beautiful gesture towards Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) youngster Chetan Sakariya after the IPL 2025 match on Wednesday at the Eden Gardens. In a video that surfaced on X, the 43-year-old seemed to have overlooked Sakariya but returned to shake hands with him with a smile.

Dhoni-led Super Kings registered their third victory of the tournament and beat the Knight Riders by two wickets with a couple of balls to spare, denting the defending champions' playoff hopes. The keeper-batter smashed an important six in the first ball of the final when the Yellow Army required eight runs, thereby calming their nerves. Anshul Kamboj scored the winning runs, cracking a boundary to help CSK achieve the target of 180.

After the game, Dhoni's gesture towards Sakariya caught fans' attention as the video quickly went viral:

At the post-game presentation, the Ranchi-born cricketer was asked about his chances of returning to the IPL next year. Dhoni gave a cryptic answer, claiming that he has to reassess his body where he is at, given his age, and will decide after the season.

"They have created energy around the group" - Michael Hussey lauds CSK's youngsters

Michael Hussey. (Image Credits: Getty)

At the post-game presser, CSK's batting coach Michael Hussey lauded the likes of Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad, and Ayush Mhatre for injecting their energy into the group, suggesting that their future looks bright. Hussey stated, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"They have had a positive impact on the team. They are highly motivated to do well. They have created energy around the group, because when you are in this position, sometimes the energy of the players can just go downhill very quickly. But this injection of some youth has really invigorated everyone."

Noor earned the Player of the Match award against the Knight Riders for taking four wickets in as many overs for 31 runs to restrict the hosts to 179/6.