MS Dhoni’s CSK teammates waited for signal to start ugly on-field fight in IPL, reveals Ambati Rayudu

Former India and CSK batter Ambati Rayudu spoke about MS Dhoni losing his cool during an IPL 2019 match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur. The CSK captain walked onto the field to confront the umpires, and Rayudu joked that the players were waiting for Dhoni to raise his hand to join the fight.

In the final over of an IPL 2019 clash between CSK and RR, a no-ball call sparked a rare display of anger from MS Dhoni. With CSK needing eight runs off three balls to win, Ben Stokes bowled a high full toss to Mitchell Santner, which the on-field umpire initially signalled as a no-ball for height.

However, the decision was overturned by the square-leg umpire. Dhoni walked onto the field to confront the officials. However, the umpires upheld their revised call, leaving the CSK captain visibly frustrated.

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We Were Waiting for MS Dhoni to Raise His Hand - Ambati Rayudu

Speaking on the JioHotstar show, 'Cheeky Singles', Ambati Rayudu recalled the moment MS Dhoni lost his temper on the field. Rayudu said that he and his teammates were waiting for Dhoni to signal so they could join him in confronting the officials.

"Bas yehi soch rahe the ki Mahi bhai bas haath uthaye aur hum log phir bhaage maarne ke liye (We were waiting for MS Dhoni to raise his hand so that we too could run into the ground to fight)," Rayudu said.

It is worth mentioning that Chennai Super Kings secured a four-wicket win in the match. However, Dhoni was fined 50 per cent of his match fees after admitting to a Level Two breach of the IPL Code of Conduct.

MS Dhoni Used to Tell Me Just One Thing - Ambati Rayudu

During the show, Ambati Rayudu shared that MS Dhoni often advised him to focus on batting without signaling wides or no-balls to umpires, adding that it would cost them fair play points. Rayudu noted that the team still managed to retain the fair play award despite Dhoni losing his cool.

"There was no DRS or Hawk-Eye for wide or no-ball at that time, so we would only tell the umpire that it was a wide or a no-ball. He used to tell me just one thing, 'Batting kar magar haath mat faila. Mere fairplay ke point nikal jayenge. (Just bat, don't raise your arms. I will lose fairplay points.)'

"However, that same year, he went into the field. We didn't lose the fairplay award because of me."

Woh RCB Wale To Sab Ke Peeche Lagte Hain - Ambati Rayudu

The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that other teams rarely sledged during his time with Mumbai Indians (MI). Rayudu shared that Royal Challengers Bengaluru tried to provoke MI on a few occasions but soon realized it wasn’t a wise strategy.

"When I played for MI, the whole dressing room would come together and decide that if someone said anything, three or four players would go after him. That's why someone goes after MI very rarely. Woh RCB wale to sab ke peeche lagte hai (RCB go after everyone), so they did something a couple of times, but then they realized that it won't work here."

In May 2023, Rayudu retired from all formats of Indian cricket. The right-handed batter won six IPL titles during his career, the joint-most alongside Rohit Sharma.

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