The 16th Indian Premier League (IPL) is already underway, and MS Dhoni’s batting for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been one of the highlights for spectators. In the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Fans have only witnessed him play in the IPL since his international retirement in August 2019. As a result, it is possible to comprehend their feelings.
After the game, CSK’s “Thala” was all smiles as his team’s triumph propelled them to third place in the league standings. But as he acknowledged that he was in the “last phase” of his career, he made the suggestion that he would be quitting all kinds of cricket in the following years.
In light of this, let’s examine MS Dhoni’s top three knocks versus SRH:
1) 67 (Chennai, IPL 2013)
Shikhar Dhawan’s fifty-run innings and Ashish Reddy’s outstanding cameo (36 off 16) during an IPL match in 2013 helped SRH reach 159 runs in the first innings.
MS Dhoni entered the game with his team in a respectable position at 76/2 and walked out to bat during the chase. On the other hand, CSK lost a few wickets, forcing the captain to step up and lead the squad.
Dhoni compensated for the other players’ subpar batting by smashing an unbeaten 67 off 37 deliveries. In the last over, his team was able to reach the target because to his knock, which featured four sixes and seven boundaries.
2) 61 (Pune, IPL 2017)
In 2017, MS Dhoni struck a memorable knock against Hyderabad while playing for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants. SRH scored 190 runs when batting first, with respectable performances from each of their batsmen. In response, RPS lost Ajinkya Rahane early, but a 72-run partnership between Rahul Tripathi and Steve Smith for the second wicket helped to steady the ship. There were still plenty of runs needed for RPS to win the game, but both fell quickly one after the other. Enter Dhoni, who nearly single-handedly brought his team the victory. He scored 61 runs in just 34 deliveries, and with a little help from Manoj Tiwary, he was able to win the match off the final delivery. Dhoni won the Player of the Match award.
3) 63 (Ranchi, IPL 2013)
In the now-defunct Champions League T20, CSK and SRH faced a battle in Ranchi in September 2013. On the strength of a superb knock by Dhoni, CSK amassed 202 runs in their opening innings while losing only four wickets. Prior to the captain smashing 63 off just 19 deliveries, Suresh Raina set the stage by batting 84. Dhoni completely crushed SRH in the final overs with his innings, which featured eight soaring sixes and one boundary. In the 18th over off Thisara Perera, he hit five sixes. SRH put forth a valiant effort but ultimately missed the objective by 12 runs. Although MS Dhoni produced one of his best innings in the game while wearing yellow, Raina was named Player of the Match.
