'Sharam kar lo': Netizens slam Chepauk crowd for chanting MS Dhoni's name amid CSK's batting collapse vs KKR

It's no secret that when it comes to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the name most synonymous with the franchise is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Fans eagerly anticipate his appearance at the crease, hoping to see him smash a few big hits¡ªregardless of the match situation. A similar scene unfolded at the MA Chidambaram Stadium when CSK hosted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Asked to bat first, CSK's batting lineup collapsed but the crowd seemed less concerned about the wickets. They were more focused on cheering for their beloved "Thala." Eventually, Dhoni¡ªwho has resumed captaincy after Ruturaj Gaikwad's elbow injury¡ªfinally came in to bat at No. 9, with CSK reeling at seven down.

Netizens slam overenthusiastic Dhoni chants

The Chepauk crowd erupted in applause as Dhoni walked in, even though CSK was in dire straits after a severe batting collapse. Interestingly, Dhoni had sent Ravichandran Ashwin (1 off 7), Ravindra Jadeja (0 off 2), and impact sub Deepak Hooda (0 off 4) ahead of him in the batting order.

Despite the crisis on the field, the crowd remained loud and jubilant, prompting many netizens¡ªparticularly on X (formerly Twitter)¡ªto criticize the fandom for prioritizing Dhoni over the team's performance.

One user wrote, "These CSK fans cheer for every CSK batter's wicket just to see Dhoni bat¡ªthen troll the same players for not performing. Why? How?"

These CSK fans cheer for every CSK batter's wicket just to see Dhoni's batting also they are the ones who are trolling them for not playing for long. Why? How?#CSKvsKKR

¡ª MJ ?? (@ViratianMJ18) April 11, 2025

Another said, "Worst CSK batting ever¡­ End of the season, bye bye bye¡­sharam kar lo."

Worst batting csk ever @ChennaiIPL
You end of the season by by by @ChennaiIPL @CSKFansOfficial sharam kr lo

¡ª MS DHONI ? (@Vinayak30351489) April 11, 2025

A third commented, "MS Dhoni batting at No. 9 and people are still expecting CSK to win!"

MS Dhoni batting at 9 and people are expecting a win from CSK! #CSKvsKKR

¡ª Ana de Armas stan (@abhithecomic) April 11, 2025

One fan added, "CSK is torturing its fans this season! Only MS Dhoni¡¯s batting is bringing any joy. Can¡¯t imagine how frustrating this is for real supporters."

CSK is torturing its fans this season! Only MS Dhoni's batting is bringing some joy to their faces. Can't imagine how frustrating it must be for CSK fans #CSK #MSDhoni #CSKvsKKR #CSKfans #chennaisuperkings

¡ª A Cricket Doctor (@dhimansusekhar) April 11, 2025

Another pointed out, "CSK is already struggling with the bat, and they send Ashwin ahead of Jadeja, Dhoni, and even Anshul Kamboj? I don't know what they're thinking¡ªthis isn't the CSK we know."

#CSKvsKKR already CSK is struggling with batting and they sent ashwin ahead of jadeja, ms dhoni and anshul kamboj to struggle more really I don't know what they are thinking really this is not what CSK to be @ChennaiIPL

¡ª ONE VISIT (@one_visit80508) April 11, 2025

What happened to CSK?

Chepauk, once a stronghold for Chennai Super Kings, has lost much of its intimidating aura this season. In their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, CSK endured yet another batting collapse, barely managing to cross the 100-run mark.

The top order failed to fire once again¡ªRachin Ravindra (4 off 9), Devon Conway (12 off 11), Rahul Tripathi (16 off 22), MS Dhoni (1 off 4), and Noor Ahmad (1 off 8) all fell without impact. Vijay Shankar offered a brief spark with a 29-run knock off 21 balls, while Shivam Dube's steady 31 off 29 helped drag the team to a modest total of 103 after losing 9 wickets.

KKR's bowlers delivered a collective masterclass, with every bowler claiming at least one wicket. Sunil Narine led the charge with three scalps, supported by Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana with two each, while Moeen Ali and Vaibhav Arora chipped in with one apiece.

Teams

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Subs: Matheesha Pathirana, Jamie Overton, Deepak Hooda, Shaik Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

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