MS Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings, had another great cameo. This time, he hit 20 runs off 9 balls in a low-scoring game against the Delhi Capitals to help his team win by 27 runs at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. The win puts CSK on the verge of making it into the IPL 2023 playoffs. They now have 15 points from 12 games and a couple of games in hand.
Dhoni has been known for his quick bursts in the IPL 2023 season. He has already hit 10 sixes and has a strike rate of 204.25, which is by far the best for CSK this year. On the slow Chepauk pitch, it was hard for every player to move the run rate forward. Only Dhoni and Shivam Dube were able to break free. Khaleel Ahmed, a fast bowler for DC, got hit for 6, 4, and 6 by Dhoni in the 19th over of CSK’s innings. This overproduced 21 runs and put the goal out of reach for David Warner’s team.
After choosing to bat first, CSK scored 167 for 8 thanks to Dhoni’s last-minute fireworks and Shivam Dube’s 25 off 12 balls. Deepak Chahar got rid of DC’s captain, Warner, for a duck on the second ball, putting them at 140 for 8. Ravindra Jadeja’s 1/19 was the best of the bowlers, and Matheesha Pathirana’s 3/37 in 4 overs was the best of the rest.
After the game, Dhoni said that he would rather hit sixes than run between the wickets. “It’s my job to make some supplies.” Don’t make me run a lot. I’m happy to help with any packages I get. “That’s how I practice, too,” Dhoni said in the address after the game.
The CSK captain said that the ball moved a lot in the second inning at Chepauk, making it harder for DC to catch up. “The second half changed a lot.” More than other bowlers, our spinners use the seam. I wanted the bowlers to throw their best balls, but I didn’t want them to try to get catches. As a team, we can still do better when we’re at bat. On this pitch, there were a few shots you should try to dodge. There were a few things that weren’t done right, but that’s okay. Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja got to bat, which was good. “As we get closer to the end, everyone has a few wickets to their name,” Dhoni said.
