Who had the best IPL farewell?
Dhoni's 2023 "farewell" season — winning the title at home in Ahmedabad with a last-ball finish — was the most dramatic potential send-off in IPL history.
CSK won IPL 2023 by 5 wickets — Dhoni lifted trophy one last time
Ahmedabad final: 100,000+ attendance (largest IPL final ever)
Dhoni 2023 SR: 182.7 (his highest season SR in 5 years)
The "farewell" caveat matters here — Dhoni continued playing in 2024 and beyond as a specialist batter. But if we treat the 2023 title as the emotional farewell moment, it is the most dramatic in IPL history.
The 2023 IPL final in Ahmedabad — played in front of over 100,000 spectators, the largest crowd in IPL final history — saw CSK win their 5th title. Dhoni, batting at 8, came in when the game was teetering and his mere presence at the crease steadied the chase. The image of Dhoni lifting the trophy one more time, with the Ahmedabad crowd roaring, is the defining farewell image of the IPL era.
His 2023 season stats add to the narrative: a strike rate of 182.7 — his highest in 5 years — proved that even at 41, Dhoni could produce power hitting that rivalled players a decade younger. His 6 off the last ball against SRH in the league stage remains one of the most replayed IPL moments of that season.
Other farewells worth honouring: Shane Warne's emotional 2011 final season with RR, AB de Villiers' retirement mid-career (though not an IPL-specific farewell), and Chris Gayle's 2021 farewell tour where he received standing ovations at every ground. But for sheer dramatic perfection — title win, record crowd, legendary captain — Dhoni's 2023 stands alone.
Challenge your friends with the data.