IPL 2023: 'The Loudest I Have Played In Front Of' - Mark Wood In Awe of MS Dhoni's Fandom

Add as a preferred source on Google

IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Mark Wood is enjoying a great start to the IPL 2023 season by picking eight wickets in first two matches at an average of 7.87. He picked five wickets for 14 runs against Delhi Capitals (DC) and then picked three wickets against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

However, the current Purple Cap owner has himself fallen flat on watching the love of fans for CSK captain MS Dhoni. The England pacer got rid of Ravindra Jadeja on the first ball of the 20th over when Dhoni walked in the middle among the roar of the fans.

Dhoni slapped the first ball he faced from Wood over third man boundary and then launched one into the orbit over deep midwicket boundary. The crowd went berserk watching their 'adopted son' smoking sixes on his return to the Chepauk for the first time after 2019.

Dhoni tried to hit another maximum on the third delivery but was caught out this time. However, the fans at Chennai's MS Chidambaram Stadium continued to cheer for him as the players in the dugout also joined them this time.

"The noise when Dhoni came to bat and hit those 2 sixes were definitely the loudest I have played in front of. MS Dhoni's second six was an amazing shot, I bowled it exactly where KL and I decided - get a bouncer and get it wide so that he has to fetch it if he is to take it, for him to hit it that far was pretty incredible," Wood said after his team's match against Chennai on Monday.

The strong finish from Dhoni, helped the 4-time champions CSK post 217/7 in 20 overs. They later defended the target by 12 runs to register their first win of the IPL 2023 season.

The viewership on JioCinema - the digital broadcasters of the IPL - reached a record 1.7 crore during Dhoni's 3-ball stay in Chennai. The earlier record was 1.6 crore, which was also set during the 41-year-old's innings against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the tournament opener.

CSK next face Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday.