MS Dhoni acknowledges mistake in no-ball incident: 'Keeping control of emotions is important'

In a thrilling final over, CSK needed 18 runs to win when Dhoni was dismissed on the third ball, putting the pressure on Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner to secure the victory. The tension escalated on the fourth delivery when Ben Stokes bowled a waist-high full toss, initially signaled as a no-ball by the on-field umpire Ullas Gandhe. However, the decision was controversially overruled by square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford, causing confusion and frustration among the CSK players and fans alike.

Dhoni, visibly furious, walked onto the field from the dugout to confront the umpires, an extremely rare act for a captain. Despite his animated protest, the officials stood by their revised decision, ruling the delivery legal.

The incident overshadowed the thrilling finish, but Santner's last-ball six ensured CSK secured victory. Dhoni was later fined 50 percent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct, making it one of the most controversial moments of his career.

Almost six years later, Dhoni remembered the moment during a freewheeling chat with Mandira Bedi, calling it a “big mistake.”

“It happened in one of the IPL games, when I just walked on the field. That was a big mistake. But, other than that also, there have been instances where something gets triggered. We play a sport where the stakes are very high, you are supposed to win every game. You have to manage a lot of things,” Dhoni said in the chat hosted by MasterCard.

“That's why I said that when you're slightly angry or frustrated, keep your mouth shut. Get away from it for a while, try taking deeper breaths. It's quite similar to handling pressure. If you can cut yourself from the result aspect, it helps. Your emotions shouldn't affect your decision-making.”

Dhoni set for return

Dhoni is no longer the captain of CSK but continues to play an important leadership role, and will return to action in the 2025 edition of the tournament. The Super Kings, now led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will begin their campaign in the season against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on March 23.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }