MS Dhoni, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, dropped a simple catch behind the wickets off dangerman Andre Russell during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 8 at Chepauk Stadium.
Mustafizur Rahman’s slow off-cutter took Russell’s outside edge and sent it to MS Dhoni at a comfortable speed and height. However, the 42-year-old strained his right hand and dropped the routine catch.
Fortunately for CSK, the blunder was not expensive, as the big-hitting West Indian was dismissed quickly for a run-a-ball 10.
MS Dhoni has been in excellent keeping form this season, particularly against spinners, despite his reduced mobility. It’s worth noting that he had knee surgery in the offseason after suffering an injury during the 2023 season, which saw CSK win for the sixth time.
Supporters expressed displeasure on Twitter when MS Dhoni dropped a straightforward catch. This error could’ve proven costly, many fans felt strongly about it.
Here are a few reactions:
“It is quite annoying that a straightforward dropped catch by Dhoni is framed by commentators as a sign of his mortality, when Dhoni has in fact dropped 9 catches since 2021 in IPL. His efficiency is not v. bad, but it is ridiculous to say it is a very rare event,” said a fan.
“Seems all the butter that these commentators apply while talking about Dhoni is stuck in his hands now. Man is literally spilling every catch,” another fan said.
“Dhoni dropped a catch and there is a complete silence amongst commentators as if nothing happened,” a fan said.
CSK produce outstanding bowling performance to stiffle KKR
The MS Dhoni drop was a slight glitch in CSK’s otherwise outstanding bowling and fielding performance in their critical match against KKR.
CSK, coming off back-to-back losses, got off to a quick start as Tushar Deshpande eliminated Phil Salt on the game’s opening delivery. Ravindra Jadeja interrupted a 56-run second-wicket stand between Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, opening the floodgates.
KKR fell from 56/1 in the seventh over to 85/5 in 11.5 overs, due to Jadeja’s three-wicket effort. Shreyas Iyer attempted to hold the innings together with a 32-ball 34 as KKR concluded on 137/9 after 20 overs.
While Ravindra Jadeja was the star of the show with 3/18, CSK also received outstanding performances from Deshpande (3/33) and Mustafizur Rahman (2/22). KKR and RR were the only two undefeated teams entering this match.