Ms. Dhoni back up the years, playing a sensational blow of 26 in just 11 balls to guide the super Kings of Chennai (CSK) in victory with three balls to lose against Lucknow super-managers, led by Rishabh Pant (LSG) in IPL 2025. The victory is only the second sequence of CSK, and their first match in six games, which ended up Five CSK games. Despite the victory, CSK remains rooted in 10th place in the point table. The LSG remains fourth, but risks losing it against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) or the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Despite scoring only eight points, Nicholas Pooran remains above the Orange CAP ranking (most tracks), with 357 points. The holder of the purple cap Noor Ahmad played an economic spell, but could not pick up a counter, remaining at 12 years old. He is closely followed by his CSK teammate, Khaleel Ahmed, who has 11 counters.
In the match, Dhoni (26 steps out of 11 balls; 4x4s, 1×6) and Shivam Dube (43 steps on 37 balls; 3x4s, 2x6s) shared a winning support of 57 points for the sixth window to pursue a goal of 167 with three balls to spare. It was after the LSG skipper, Rishabh Pant, returned with half a century to guide its side to 166 for seven.
Pant (63 out of 49 balls) had difficulties initially but grew up with confidence as the sleeves progressed and with Abdul Samad (20) shared 53 points for the fifth window of 33 balls.
Shaik Rasheed (27 out of 19) and Rachin Ravirand (37 out of 22) pursued CSK to a leaflet with a brilliant opening stand of 52 points of 29 balls.
While Ravi will showed his class on the side, Rasheed was elegant on the legs side, finding the fence at will to raise CSK fifty in the fifth.
The entertaining blow of beginner Rasheed ended when he skied a short ball from Avesh Khan while trying to hoick on the side of the legs.
Aiden Markram then trapped Ravira in front of the counter while Rahul Tripathi failed to take a stay while he was ahead of a delighted delivery to the leg spinner.
Bishnoi has superbly played, and his efforts gave a result by rejecting Ravira Jadeja with a delivery in flight, and Markram took a good grip in time.
CSK needing 56 out of 30, came Dhoni and he broke Avesh through the side of four, and deliberately cut the following ball in front of the third -man fence to reduce the equation to 44 of the 24 balls.
It was a vintage Dhoni exposed while he was swinging his bat to hit a six with a hand off Shardul Thakur, then obtained a border off Avesh.
Dhoni and Dube used the rhythm of LSG quisors to perfection to bring CSK back home and relieve their fans.
Earlier, after five successive losses, CSK took a dream start after choosing to play.
The Khaleel Ahmed’s left arm stimulator (1/38) hit the first time in the opening when he rejected Markram with Rahul Tripathi taking a brilliant diving after shaping back.
Two letters later, Ashul Kamboj removed the dangerous Nicholas Pooran LBW.
Mitchell Marsh, returning aside after sitting from the last match for personal reasons, took the attack on the opposition and broke Khaleel for four and six in consecutive bullets.
Pant, who has had trouble in the tournament so far, has been out with intention and sought to come back to train with unorthodox but confident strikes, which included a reversed scoop six of Jamie Overton’s delivery.
Veteran Jadeja (2/34) carried out 10 points during his first final, but returned strongly to his neighbor to disturb the woods of Marsh.
Young Ayush Badoni (22 out of 17) meant business and played his shots from the start. He struck Overton for two huge consecutive six – one above the cover and the next on the final leg to bring LSG to 95 for three after 12 overs.
Pant welcomed Matheesha Pathrina (2/45) with exquisite cover training to the border.
After surviving two chances – first when he was taken without ball, then a near LBW cancels Jadeja in the 14th plus – Badoni came out when the left arm spinner spread it completely and Dhoni did the rest behind the stumps.
Pant fought against CSK’s spinners, in particular Noor Ahmad, who made shiny figures of 4-0-13-0.
But with the rhythm of return to the attack in the form of pathirana in the 18th, Pant took his chance as he broke the Sri Lankais for two six, the second a draw with one hand on the square leg to raise its fifty.
Pant and Samad went great cannons before Dhoni’s brilliance attended the dismissals of the two strikers.
Dhoni first struck the end of non-attackers with a direct throw to reject Samad, then in the next ball took a good catch to end the pant’s stay in the middle.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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