Chennai Super Kings’ young wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel is quickly becoming a name to watch. The 27-year-old gave fans a massive throwback to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s golden days behind the stumps with a stunning display of reflexes — a move that instantly went viral on social media.
In a video shared on his Instagram, Urvil executed a lightning-fast stumping that caught the batter off guard. As the ball zipped past the outside edge, the batter’s back foot lifted briefly — and in that split second, Urvil, in true Dhoni style, whipped off the bails before anyone could blink.
The clip, captioned “Didn’t learn from books… Learnt from the legend himself — Thala 🫡💛”, drew thousands of reactions. Fans flooded the comments section with praise, and even CSK’s official handle joined in, commenting, “Top work!”
Carrying forward Dhoni’s legacy
With speculation continuing over MS Dhoni’s future in IPL 2026, CSK fans have found fresh hope in Urvil — a calm, composed, and sharp presence behind the stumps who seems to carry the Dhoni influence with pride.
Urvil’s performance has not been limited to glovework. He has also been in red-hot batting form in domestic cricket. Playing for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy against Bengal at Eden Gardens, the young wicketkeeper pulled off a spectacular counter-attack when his team was reeling at 50 for 3, chasing a stiff 327-run target.
He went on to score a brilliant 109 off 124 balls, laced with 14 fours and 2 sixes. Mixing caution with aggression, Urvil steadied the innings alongside Jaymeet (34), putting together a crucial 100-run stand that momentarily revived Gujarat’s hopes.
Even as he retired hurt on 109 due to cramps, the innings left a mark. Bengal eventually won the match by 141 runs, but Urvil’s knock was widely praised as the standout performance — proof of his ability to absorb pressure and respond with flair.
Record-breaking T20 exploits
Beyond first-class cricket, Urvil has already etched his name in India’s domestic T20 record books. In 2024, he smashed the fastest century by an Indian in T20s, reaching the milestone in just 28 balls against Tripura — a feat that showcased his natural attacking instinct.
Picked by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for Vansh Bedi in IPL 2025, Urvil has featured in three matches so far, scoring 68 runs and impressing with his wicketkeeping. With Dhoni mentoring him and fans already dubbing him “Thala 2.0,” Urvil Patel looks set to be the franchise’s next breakout star.