Man enters ground to meet Dhoni during IPL match in Gujarat, arrested

Ahmedabad: A 21-year-old man has been arrested for criminal trespass after he breached the tight security cordon to enter the field to meet cricketer MS Dhoni during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred during the match between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the stadium in the Motera area of the city on Friday night, an official said.

Jaykumar Jani, a native of Rabarika village in Bhavnagar district, has been arrested under section 447 (criminal trespass) of the IPC, Assistant Commissioner of Police DV Rana said.

Jani informed the police that he was Dhoni’s fan and wanted to meet him, he said.

He jumped the barricades and ran towards the cricketer who was batting, the official said.

In a video of the incident that surfaced on social media, Jani is seen bowing at Dhoni’s feet near the pitch and hugging him before security personnel take him away.

”Jani and his brother Parth travelled from Bhavnagar to watch the match. During a DRS (decision review system) break, Jani first jumped the metal barricades near the black screen and ran towards the pitch. He was quickly apprehended and taken to Chandkheda police station,” Rana said.

He was formally arrested on Saturday after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him, the official said.

This is the second such incident at Narendra Modi stadium in six months.

In November 2023, Wayne Johnson, an Australian national of Chinese-Filipino origin, breached the security cordon to enter the field to hug Virat Kohli during the World Cup final between India and Australia.