IPL 2020: MS Dhoni loses cool again, confronts umpires in clash against Rajasthan Royals

Sharjah: Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni, who is often referred to as ‘Captain Cool’ for his calm demeanor, lost his temper yet again and argued with the umpires during the IPL 2020 clash against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah.

This was the second consecutive time that the CSK skipper lost his cool on the umpires during an Indian Premier League clash against Rajasthan Royals, the first being in IPL 2019.

In the 18th over of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Tom Curran was given out caught behind and he asked for the review. However, to his shock, Tom Curran realised that he cannot review as all had been used. Curran started to walk back but then he was stopped by the leg umpire. 

The two umpires had a chat and decided to use technology to determine whether the catch was taken. There was clearly no edge and the ball seemed to have bounced in front of MS Dhoni. The umpires decided to call Curran back and this infuriated Dhoni who then got engaged in a heated argument with the umpires.

This was the second time when Dhoni lost his cool during the Rajasthan Royals clash in IPL. 

During the 2019 edition of the tournament, during the match between the two sides in Jaipur, Dhoni was visibly furious when the umpires refused to signal a no-ball for height. 

The fourth ball from Ben Stokes was a full toss to Mitchell Santner with CSK needing eight runs off the final three balls. Umpire Ulhas Gandhe signalled for a no-ball immediately after the ball was bowled, but went to consult square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford to take a final call, and that was when the drama unfolded.

After Oxenford deemed it to be a legal delivery, Ravindra Jadeja continued to have a chat with the umpires and Dhoni, who had seen the umpire’s hand go up, came charging out in protest. A few Rajasthan players also were involved in the argument and finally Oxenford’s call stood. Ben Stokes tried to calm Dhoni down but in vain.

Meanwhile, Dhoni on Tuesday also explained the reason behind his decision to bat at number 7 spot despite his side chasing a mammoth target of 217 against Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Dhoni came out to bat when CSK were 114 for 5 in the 14th over and the match was out of their grasp. He scored 29 not out off 17 balls with 3 sixes. “I haven’t batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn’t help (why he isn’t batting higher). Also wanted to try different things, give opportunities to Sam. Have the opportunity to try different things. If it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your strengths,” Dhoni said after the 16-run defeat.

The CSK spinner said that the poor start proved disastrous for his team and the extras were given away by his fast bowlers also helped Royals post a high total.