“When Mahi bhai walked in, there was absolute pin-drop silence” - CSK star recalls Dhoni’s no-ball controversy in IPL 2019

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Shreyas Gopal opened up on the infamous no-ball controversy from IPL 2019 involving MS Dhoni. It was during a game between CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR) when Dhoni, unlike his usual self, lost his cool on the field.

During the final over of the game, Ben Stokes had bowled a high full toss to Mitchell Santner. It seemed like a no-ball, and the square led umpire even raised his arm to make the signal at first. However, he took back his call and eventually decided that it was not a no-ball.

The sudden change of the decision left Dhoni fuming as he barged into the field from the dugout. He walked in as the game came to a temporary halt. The then-CSK captain had a heated argument with the umpires. He was later fined 50 percent of his match fees for having breached the IPL Code of Conduct.

Recalling the incident, Shreyas Gopal, who was playing for RR in that game, stated that there was pin-drop silence when Dhoni stepped into the field.

"I was at fine-leg actually, so he just walked past like that. I knew trouble is on its way. If someone has to walk in, especially him being probably the coolest and calmest cricketer, if he has to walk in, then there's something that has really bothered him or not right. If you look at it, probably the only time when Mahi bhai walked in, there was absolute pin-drop silence and no one spoke. The only time I saw him walk into a field and everyone was quiet," he said. (via CSK's YouTube channel)

Gopal was acquired by Chennai at his base price of ₹30 Lakh during the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, the leg-spinner did not get a single game. He last played an IPL game in 2024 when he was with the Mumbai Indians (MI).

---

CSK leg-spinner reflects on his standout IPL moment

The CSK leggie also reflected on his standout moment in the IPL. It came during the 2019 season while playing for Rajasthan in a game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Playing on his home soil, Gopal delivered a memorable performance with the ball in a rain-curtailed affair. He picked up a famous hat-trick, accounting for the big wickets of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis in his very first over after being hit for 10 runs off his first two balls.

"The standout (in IPL) is my hat-trick against RCB. That moment, it really told me that you can really do well at this level and the confidence just went two notches higher. AT the end of the day, cricket is so much of a confidence game. Your form is so much of a confidence thing," he said. (via CSK's YouTube channel)

Overall, Gopal has featured in 52 IPL games so far. The 32-year-old bagged 52 wickets at an average of 25.94 and an economy rate of 8.16 with best figures of 4/16.