CSK youngster Karthik Sharma reveals meaning behind gun celebration after hitting winning runs in IPL 2026 vs MI

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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