IPL 2023: MS Dhoni accepts Eden Garden's 'farewell', says 'thanks a lot'

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MS Dhoni probably played his last match at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday as he visited with his Chennai Super Kings to face Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK won the game by a big margin of 49 runs as Ajinkya Rahane starred but it was Dhoni's name that was chanted by a full-capacity crowd.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, the winning captain acknowledged the love shown to him by the crowd and said he was thankful as he sensed they came in CSK's yellow colours to bid him farewell.

"I will just say thanks for the support, they came in big numbers," said MS Dhoni. "Most of these guys will come in a KKR jersey next time. They are trying to give me a farewell, so thanks a lot to the crowd."

Earlier at the toss, Dhoni revealed his love for the city, recalling the years he spent in the nearby town of Kharagpur while working for Indian railways before making forays into international cricket.

"I have played a lot of cricket here in Kolkata. But I won't say quite a lot, because I haven't played U-16 or U-19, which reduces the number of games. But, you know I had a job in Kharagpur which was 2 hours away from here. So I spent a lot of time over there, played a lot of cricket and also football. So, I think the love comes from there," Dhoni said.

CSK's inform opener Devon Conway, who hit his fourth half-century on the trot to help the side score a mammoth 235, said after the game that having Dhoni in CSK gives them an advantage as it feels like home everywhere they go to play.

"Having MS in your group, it's great to have him. It does feel like a home fixture every time we play. CSK fans get behind him and us as a group, good to be part of this group," said the Kiwi opener.