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Dhoni pyrotechnics help break CSK’s losing streak

football14 April 2025 18:48| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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Fan favourite MS Dhoni produced a superb finishing flourish to help power the Chennai Super Kings to a five wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL clash at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday night.

It was a thrilling encounter that swung both ways, but in the end, Dhoni’s unbeaten 26 off 11 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six, proved decisive as the defending champs broke a five-match losing streak to raucous applause despite them being away from home.

Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant also has to be questioned about some strange decisions, after he didn’t use more of spinner Ravi Bishnoi, despite him being their best bowler in picking up 2-18 in three overs.

At the start of play, the Super Kings won the toss and chose to bowl, with the Super Giants managing 166 for seven, thanks largely to Pant, 63 off 49 balls (4x4; 4x6), while Mitchell Marsh, 30 off 25 (2x4; 2x6), Ayush Badoni, 22 off 17 (1x4; 2x6) and Abdul Samad, 20 off 11 (2x6), all chipped in.

Rachin Ravindra, 37 off 22 (5x4) and Shaik Rasheed, 27 off 19 (6x4) then got the Super Kings off to a good start, with a fightback from the Super Giants spinners putting them back on top, before Shivam Dube, 43no off 37 (3x4; 2x6) and Dhoni cracked them home with three balls to spare.

The Super Kings' chase got off to a flying start as Ravindra and Rasheed shared in a 52-run opening stand in under five overs, before Avesh Khan made the breakthrough, having Rasheed caught by Nicholas Pooran.

The Super Giants spinners then took centre stage, led by Bishnoi, as they throttled the Super Kings in the middle overs, with Aiden Markram, 1-25, bowling his first full compliment in the IPL, and Digvesh Rathi, 1-23, also impressing, as the visitors stumbled to 111 for five by the end of 15 overs.

But that just brought Dhoni to the crease and he provided the spark that the Super Kings needed and inspired Dube, who at a stage was struggling on 26 off 30 balls, as their unbeaten 57-run stand off 27 balls hammered them over the line.

The 19th over proved to be the difference in the end, as Shardul Thakur, who went for 56 in his four overs, bowled a shocker, going for 19, making the decision not to bowl Bishnoi even more perplexing in the end.

SHAKY START

Earlier in the match, the Super Giants innings got off to a tough start after Markram (6) was stunningly caught by Rahul Tripathi, tracking back after a top edge, off the bowling of Khaleel Ahmed, and Nicholas Pooran (8) was nailed LBW by Anshul Kamboj, leaving them on 23 for two after four overs.

That brought Pant in to join Marsh and they started the rebuild with a 50-run third-wicket stand, as they took them to 42 for two at the end of the powerplay and almost to the halfway mark.

But just as they were looking to take charge, Ravindra Jadeja got one to skid on and through Marsh’s defence to bowl him, with the score 73 for three in the 10th over.

Badoni was next man in, and he looked in good early nick, cracking a four and back-to-back sixes off Jamie Overton, but having helped take the Super Giants passed the hundred, he came down the pitch at Jadeja, missed and was comfortably stumped by Dhoni as they slipped to 107 for four in the 14th.

They slowly moved onto 121 for four by the end of the 17th, with Pant struggling on 40 off 39 balls, but the captain finally came alive in the final three overs, as he clubbed two sixes of Matheesha Pathirana’s 18th, the second over deep midwicket to get to his fifty, as 18 came off the over.

A straight six down the ground from Pant, and one over deep square leg from Samad, off Ahmed’s 19th, saw 16 off it as they accelerated over the 150-run mark.

An action-packed final over then went for 11 runs, but also saw three wickets, including Samad being run out and Pant caught off a top edge by Dhoni off Pathirana, as they finished on a slightly below par, but defendable score.

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Rathi.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.

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