Fans saw yet another masterclass from MS Dhoni at the Chepauk Stadium on Wednesday when the Chennai Super Kings locked horns with the Delhi Capitals in the 55th game of the season. The CSK skipper played a quick cameo with the bat in the first inning and then used his bowlers in a brilliant way.
As a result, the four-time champions ended with their fifth win of the season and beat DC by 27 runs to get an inch closer to a place in the playoffs. Thala Dhoni smashed 20 off just nine balls, with one four and two sixes, to give his team the much-needed finish in the end.
CSK managed 167/8 in the first inning, which proved to be a winning score for them. This season, everyone has seen the vintage version of MS Dhoni, who comes to bat and smashes bowlers for sixes.
The CSK skipper has managed a strike rate of 204.26 this season, with 10 sixes off the 40 balls he has faced. After the game, when asked about his strike rate, Dhoni said that he has told his teammates that he doesn’t want to run a lot but rather play a few balls and hit boundaries.
The CSK skipper said, “This is what my job is. I have told them this is what I am supposed to do. Don’t make me run a lot. It has been working. This is what I need to do, happy to contribute.”
Furthermore, he said that with the final phase of the tournament coming up, it is important to have some game time under the belt for everyone. He also praised Mitchell Santner and Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying that both are good readers of the game and very important members of the team.
Chasing the target, DC ended up with 140/8 in their chase. None of the batters from either team scored a half-century. Matheesha Pathirana picked up three wickets, while Deepak Chahar took two wickets in the game. With 15 points, CSK has strengthened their position on the points table and will face KKR on May 14 in their next game.