The supporters of Chennai Super Kings were disappointed by their team's exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, as their hope of witnessing MS Dhoni raise the title at Chepauk was not realised. Since it is unknown if Dhoni intends to participate in another season, several former cricket players and pundits have taken a hard line at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru players for not shaking hands with MS Dhoni as is traditional. Many said that the RCB players 'over-celebrated' their run through the playoffs, which is what made Dhoni go back to the dressing room without shaking hands. However, a video that disputes this has surfaced on social media.
Dhoni was criticised by some on social media for 'over-celebrating' and for returning to the dressing room without shaking hands with the RCB players, according to a fan.
Players like Michael Vaughan and Harsha Bhogle lambasted the RCB for not treating MS Dhoni with the deference he deserved following the handshake incident.
'If there was ever a moment when a team of players needed to be mindful. We're not sure, but if it was MS Dhoni's final game, then those guys should have just waited to greet the icon instead of running around the field performing handstands. All we have to do is go shake his hands, and thereafter we can perform some handstands and cartwheels. That's perfectly OK,' the former captain of England stated.
'This player is recognisable. The player said, 'I wouldn't want to wake up tomorrow morning as an RCB player and realise, 'Wait a minute, MS Dhoni has announced his retirement and we didn't have the decency to go and shake his hand first.'
One of the most well-known analysts in the sport, Harsha, wasn't pleased to see that RCB players were too caught up in their joy and hadn't bothered to shake hands with Dhoni.
'It is irrelevant. You show your feelings after winning a World Cup final, yet you still shake hands with the opposition. The two sides are signalling, 'Now, our antagonism is over,' with that handshake. We didn't give each other a single inch. It's finished now,' Bhogle remarked.
