MS Dhoni's infamous 2019 no-ball drama exposed by CSK teammate

Chennai Super Kings legend MS Dhoni’s legacy in the IPL is full of unforgettable moments, but the 2019 no-ball drama against Rajasthan Royals remains one of the most shocking in his decorated IPL career. The incident exposed a side of MS Dhoni rarely seen on the field.

It all unfolded in Jaipur during a tense final over when Ben Stokes bowled a high full toss to Mitchell Santner. For a moment, it looked like the delivery would be called a no-ball. The umpire at square leg even raised his arm, only to pull it back within seconds.

Shreyas Gopal recalls MS Dhoni’s rare IPL outburst in 2019

That sudden U-turn stunned everyone and left MS Dhoni furious. The usually calm CSK skipper stormed out of the dugout and marched straight into the middle. The entire stadium was shocked as the “Captain Cool” confronted the umpires in a heated exchange.

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The play was stopped, and no one had ever expected to witness such an outburst from the former Indian captain. Later, MS Dhoni was fined for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. Interestingly, one of the players who witnessed the incident up close was Shreyas Gopal, who was part of the Rajasthan Royals.

There was absolute pin-drop silence: Shreyas Gopal

Now, in 2025, the leg-spinner was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad. Gopal recalled the moment, saying everyone went completely silent during the argument.

Shreyas Gopal said on CSK's YouTube channel, “I was at fine leg actually, so he just walked past like that. I knew trouble was 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 is 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, everyone was quiet.”

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Shreyas Gopal recalls his iconic IPL hat-trick in Bengaluru

Meanwhile, Shreyas Gopal also recalled a night when he had stunned the Bengaluru crowd with a hat trick. It was the moment during an IPL 2019 match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The stage was set on Gopal’s home turf, where thousands of fans were expecting fireworks from RCB’s batting giants, but the young leg-spinner shocked them. After being taken for 10 runs in his first two balls, Gopal roared back in style. In the same over, he dismisses Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis to turn the electric atmosphere of the stadium into disbelief.

Gopal said, “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.”

Notably, Gopal has so far played 52 matches and claimed 52 wickets at an average of 25.94, with best figures of 4/16 and an economy rate of 8.16 in the IPL.