Royal Challengers Bangalore clinched a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs with a thrilling victory over Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. Led by Faf du Plessis, RCB needed a win in their final league match to secure a top-four finish. The excitement was palpable at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as they triumphed over their rivals by 27 runs. However, the post-match celebrations sparked some controversy when MS Dhoni walked off the pitch without shaking hands after waiting for the RCB players.
Social media footage showed Dhoni waiting for the RCB players to complete their celebrations before heading to the dressing room without shaking hands. Virat Kohli later followed him inside to speak with the seasoned star. During a conversation on Cricbuzz, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan criticized the RCB players for not shaking hands with Dhoni.
“I see it in the RCB team. They have a lot of support, but they also alienate people. We saw a lot of that tonight. I understand they have never won the IPL and have only made it to the elimination stage. But you don’t want to be a team that everyone wants to beat,” Vaughan said.
Vaughan also speculated that this match might be Dhoni’s last in the IPL and wondered if the RCB players would come to regret their actions.
Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle also weighed in, emphasizing that players should always shake hands before celebrating, regardless of the occasion.
“I haven’t seen the footage, but it doesn’t matter. Even if you win a World Cup final, you show your emotions but still shake hands with the opposition. It’s one of the great traditions of our sport. It symbolizes that the competition is over. We fought hard, but now it’s done. It was just a game, and now we shake hands. Then, you can go back and celebrate,” Bhogle stated.
