CSK youngster Karthik Sharma reveals meaning behind gun celebration after hitting winning runs in IPL 2026 vs MI originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Kartik Sharma's gun-point celebration after CSK win sparked massive comparisons with Dhoni.

• The 20-year-old had planned the gesture in advance.

• His fifty made him the second-youngest CSK batter to reach the milestone in IPL history.

Young CSK star Kartik Sharma channelled his inner Dhoni, but made it his own

Kartik Sharma helped Chennai Super Kings dismantle Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the MA Chidamabaram Stadium to inspire the hosts to a rare double over Hardik Pandya & Co.

The 20-year-old, fresh off a measured half-century, raised his fingers in a gun-pointed salute during the post-match celebrations. It was an iconic celebration that instantly threw cricket fans back two decades to a certain MS Dhoni moment.

What made the moment all the more striking was the confession that followed. Kartik had not acted on impulse. Before he even walked to the crease, he had already decided what he would do if the runs came.

"I had planned beforehand that if I scored runs today, I would celebrate like that," he said.

Kartik Sharma's innings against MI earned that Dhoni celebration

The celebration had a knock worth celebrating behind it. Kartik walked in with Chennai wobbling at 46 for two after Sanju Samson's early exit and Urvil Patel's quickfire 24.

What followed was anything but rushed. Kartik put his head down alongside captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who contributed an unbeaten 67 off 48 balls, and the two built the chase steadily.

By the time it was over, Chennai had knocked off Mumbai's total of 159 for seven with eight wickets in hand and close to five overs remaining. Kartik finished unbeaten on 54 off 40 balls; composed, clean, and precisely what the team needed.

The knock also placed him in rare company. At 20 years and six days old, he became the second-youngest CSK batter to record an IPL half-century, sitting just behind Ayush Mhatre on that list.

When did MS Dhoni bring out the gun celebration?

Back in October 2005, a 24-year-old Dhoni walked out at Sawai Mansingh Stadium against Sri Lanka in a chase of 299.

What followed was an innings of sheer destruction, 183 not out off 145 balls, with 15 fours and 10 sixes, steering India to 303 for four in just 46.1 overs.

When his century arrived, Dhoni raised his hand in that now-legendary gun-point pose.

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The Cricket News Opinion: Let the kid have his moment

There will always be people who bristle when young players reference, even unconsciously, the legacy of someone like Dhoni.

But Kartik Sharma did not claim to be Dhoni. He did not imitate him out of hero worship. He crafted his own plan and executed it, much like the innings itself.

Cricket needs players who dare to dream loudly. At 20, making his mark in the IPL, scoring under pressure and walking off with a celebration he had already promised himself, Kartik was not living in anyone else's shadow. He was starting to build his own.

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