‘I know the reason…’: Samson doesn't name Dhoni again in latest act after winning toss in RR vs CSK IPL 2023 match

The craze for Dhoni did not go unnoticed as far as Samson was concerned. He did not name Dhoni but made his point crystal clear in the RR vs CSK IPL 2023 match.

When MS Dhoni plays in the IPL, almost every venue turns out to be his 'home' ground. Seas of yellow, chants of CSK are pretty normal when Dhoni walks out as the leader of Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match. But considering the fact that the ongoing IPL 2023 might be his last as a professional cricketer, the craze for Dhoni and support for CSK has grown exponentially everywhere the franchise has played so far.

Sanju Samson shakes hands with MS Dhoni(IPL)

Eden Gardens in Kolkata was painted yellow because of Dhoni. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai bore a similar picture. And on Thursday, it was the turn of Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. It didn't matter to the fans that it was their home team Rajasthan Royals' 200th IPL match. It didn't matter to them that RR captain Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat first. All they wanted was the sight of MS Dhoni.

RR vs CSK IPL 2023 Live Score

There was the loudest cheer when it was Dhoni's turn to speak to former India cricketer Murali Kartik at toss time. The craze for Dhoni did not go unnoticed as far as Samson was concerned. He did not name Dhoni but made his point crystal clear.

"It feels really great (to be leading the side on their landmark 200th IPL match). I've been a part of this franchise for 8-10 years, it is a great achievement for me but I would have liked to see some pink here today in the stadium but I see yellow and we all know what the reason is," Samson said with a smile.

This is not the first time Samson dropped a huge Dhoni-admiring comment without naming him. In the previous outing between these two teams, Samson referred to Dhoni as “that guy” throughout the post-match press conference.

Dhoni said the itch has a decent pace but the average bounce is slightly less. "We are trying to build characters in our team (bowlers) and make them believe in themselves. Same side for us."

CSK are at the top of the table with five wins, two losses and 10 points. They won their previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 49 runs. RR are in the third position in the points table with four wins and three losses. They have eight points and lost their last match to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by seven runs.

Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Singh.