Indian Premier League 2024

'Kya accha aadmi hai Arijit yr' - Fans react to Arijit Singh's heartwarming gesture to MS Dhoni during ITL 2023 opening ceremony

Cricket fraternity witnessed a heartwarming moment at the opening ceremony of ITL 2023 when singer Arijit Singh shared the stage with MS Dhoni

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Akshay
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MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni (Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni MS Dhoni (Source: Twitter)

Seeing former Indian captain MS Dhoni on the cricket field is something that excites fans and we witnessed it on the opening day of the 16th edition of the Indian T20 League as well. Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium - Gujarat's home ground - was filled with yellow t-shirted fans where the reigning ITL champions faced Chennai in the tournament opener. But the cricket fraternity witnessed a heartwarming fan moment at the opening ceremony on Friday, March 31, when India's star singer Arijit Singh shared the stage with the Chennai skipper.

Arijit, who has established himself as one of the leading playback singers in Bollywood, thrilled his fans with his superhit songs along with actresses Rashmika Mandanna and Tamannah Bhatia ahead of the first match of ITL 2023. As the two captains of their respective teams joined the stage with the Indian Cricket Board officials and the performers of the evening, Dhoni and Arijit shared a beautiful gesture that took the internet by storm. In the picture doing the rounds on social media, the veteran singer can be seen touching the wicket-keeper batter's feet.

Gujarat started its ITL 2023 campaign with a comfortable win

After winning the toss and electing to field first, Mohammad Shami gave the Hardik Pandya-led team a flying start by dismissing New Zealand opener Devon Conway in the third over. Ruturaj Gaikwad, however, steadied the ship with a 50-ball 92 and took the team to a respectable score of 178, when the rest of the batters failed to perform well. There was a short cameo from Moeen Ali in the top order and Dhoni in the latter stages of the innings.

In reply, Gujarat got off to a flying start when Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill fired in the powerplay. After losing Saha in the fourth over, Gill took the role of the anchor and played a sensible innings. Their impact player, Sai Sudharshan, who came in for an injured Kane Williamson, contributed some valuable runs. Rashid Khan - who won the Player Of The Match award for his brilliant all-round display - and Rahul Tewatia, led the champions to a five-wicket victory.

Here's how fans reacted to Arijit's heartwarming gesture: 

Chennai Indian Premier League MS Dhoni Gujarat