Indian Premier League 2023

Watch: MS Dhoni smashes 18 runs in four balls in yet another explosive finishing cameo from No.8

by Wisden Staff May 10, 2023 - 5:50pm 2 minute read

Watch: MS Dhoni put on yet another masterclass at the death in CSK’s IPL match against Delhi Capitals today (May 10), hitting two sixes in his penultimate over blitz.

Khaleel Ahmed was the unfortunate bowler under Dhoni’s pump on this occasion, and conceded 21 runs off his final over of the match. After a couple of singles off the first two balls of the over brought Dhoni back on strike, he hit the first of his maximums with a powerful pull into the deep.

He dragged the short ball from well outside off stump, hauling it into the leg side and well over the deep midwicket boundary. Sending his next ball down even wider, Khaleel was forced to bowl the ball again with it called too wide. When he did, Dhoni once again found the boundary.

This time placing the ball through the off-side, again to a wide pitched delivery, he got a thick outside edge. The ball ballooned into the air over the fielder at short third man and bounced a couple of times before going over the rope for four.

After he scored a couple of runs off the next ball hitting into the deep cover region, Dhoni once again capitalised on width off Khaleel’s final delivery. He mauled a slower ball back over the bowler’s head and just over the boundary for a flat six.

Twenty-one runs came off the over, lifting CSK past 160 going into the final over. Dhoni was out to the penultimate ball of the innings from Mitchell Marsh, with Chennai finishing on 167-8.

In IPL 2023, Dhoni has struck at 204.25 and averaged 48. His innings today yielded 20 runs off nine balls in a typical explosive cameo at the death of the innings.