IPL 2020: MS Dhoni's glare, umpire's call leaves fans 'wide' open; triggers meme fest

It was a vintage Chennai show for the Yellove fans as MS Dhoni and co picked up the must-needed win to stay alive in the race to the playoffs in the Dream11 IPL 2020. It looked like all the holes in the ship were plugged for Chennai on Tuesday as they secured a comfortable 20-run win against David Warner's men, a relief to many Chennai fans. It could have been back-to-back losses that allowed MS Dhoni & co to experiment with the team line-up and it looks like it has clicked for Chennai, considering the performance of both batsmen and bowlers on Tuesday.

An incident from the 18th over of the game during the run-chase caught the eyeballs of the fans, igniting a huge debate. Shardul Thakur bowled the second delivery of the 18th over a 'little too wide', prompting the umpire to raise his hand to signal the extra. However, just as the umpire was lifting his hand, MS Dhoni was seen raising his hands while also 'glaring' at the umpire from behind the stumps, soon after which the umpire did not give the extra. A heated debate raged between fans on the internet, with certain sections of fans blaming MS Dhoni for íntimidating the umpire' while others jumped to the defense of their 'Thala' MS Dhoni, pointing out that it was the umpire's final decision to make and that the captain had the right to protest the decision given.    

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MS Dhoni's glare leaves fans 'wide' open

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Chennai pick up a much-needed win

The three-time winners posted 167/6 in their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first riding on some stellar batting performances from veterans Ambati Rayudu (41) and Shane Watson (42). In reply, the Orange Army were reduced to 99/4 on a wicket that was on the slower side. However, Kane Williamson played a sheet anchor's role to near perfection by scoring a blistering 39-ball 57 and once he was dismissed, the lower order failed to make much of an impact and the 2016 champions were eventually restricted to 147/8.

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I felt we did a very good job': MS Dhoni

"Ultimately what really matters is you getting two points. What T20s have shown is that there are a few games that don't go your way and then there are some that go your way even when you haven't earned it. Today I felt we did a very good job even in the batting. There was some purpose with the bat and the batsmen assessed the situation very well. With a total like 160, it all depends on the start you get in the first six overs. The fast bowlers did the job, the spinners came into play and it was one game that was as close to being perfect. It was a par score and I usually assess scores after the first six overs. If there are misfields in the first six overs then a par score becomes an under-par score. A lot depended on the fast bowlers. I just told them to be expressive on the field and hit their areas", said Dhoni during the post-match interview.

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