Dhoni fever grips Delhi, fans paint Feroz Shah Kotla yellow

PTI, May 20, 2023, 6:30 PM IST

New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is believed to be playing his last match here, was welcomed by a sea of yellow as fans showed support for the former India captain during his side Chennai Super Kings’ IPL game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

Walking towards the Feroz Shah Kotla on a bright and sunny afternoon, all one could see was yellow. Vendors were selling CSK jerseys and flags on the streets while fans were getting their face painted yellow.

At the stadium, supporters of the World Cup winning skipper were dressed in the yellow CSK jerseys, waving CSK flags and chanting ‘Dhoni Dhoni’ when Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway came out to bat. Even the DJ ditched DC’s ‘Roar Macha’ for the CSK song.

”Dhoni khel raha hai aaj, aakhri match khel raha yahan, support karna toh banta hai. (Dhoni is playing today, he’s playing his last match here, you have to support him),” said Rohit Bajaj, a fan clad in the CSK’s number seven jersey.

One struggled to find the handful of fans dressed in blue — the home team’s colour. At one point, it looked like Dhoni won’t be wielding the bat, but the fans went berserk when he walked in at number four to bat.

Although the wicketkeeper-batter didn’t play the big shots, the crowd was just happy seeing him in the middle. Similar scenes were seen across various venues thorough out the season, including at the Eden Gardens, as it is believed to be Dhoni’s last IPL.

On Friday, fans waited for hours at the stadium here just to catch a glimpse of Dhoni.