IPL 2018 - 'MS stands for Mad Skills': Twitter bows down to MS Dhoni after vintage knock from CSK skipper

A grimacing Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulled off a near impossible win for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) before Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) scraped through with a dramatic four-run victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.

Dhoni, battling back pain, took the match into the last over with a blistering 79 off 44 balls. However, his valiant effort did not prove to be enough as CSK ended at 193 for five in response to KXIP's 197 for seven at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.

The Super Kings needed as many as 76 off the last 30 balls and Dhoni got his team almost over the line with an innings comprising six fours and five sixes. With 17 needing off the final over, pacer Mohit Sharma did the job for KXIP, who recorded their second win in three games this season. It was the first loss of the season for the Dhoni-led team.

Twitter was full of praise for the former India captain. Much of the anticipation around IPL 2018 has revolved around MSD and the prospect of him putting on a show in that famous yellow jersey. On Sunday, netizens doffed their hats after yet another Mahi special.

Here are some tweets

Dhoni with a bad back almost pulled off the impossible. People keep writing him off but this man keeps raising the bar higher and higher. @ChennaiIPL and the fans can be super proud of his effort #KXIPvCSK

— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) April 15, 2018

CSK loses, but Dhoni clearly the winner tonight. Unbelievable knock! #CSKvsKXIP

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 15, 2018

Counted 16 big hit attempts off 44 balls by Dhoni. Got 56 runs off those attempts. It was Dhoni at his vintage best tonight.#CSKvKXIP

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 15, 2018

I am so thankful that one of my biggest heroes Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going into Sunset with his head & bat held high. What a champion! Keep going Mahi!

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) April 15, 2018

Phew! This innings was so personal. Though all of us are hardcore Dhoni fans, we also are rational, logical beings at the end of the day. So we cant ignore the mortality of sports careers. So we keep waiting, with heavy hearts "Is this it?" "Is this the end?" every mishit...

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) April 15, 2018

Every dot ball, Every limp, Every chasing loss. We keep guessing
"Is this it?"
"Should he go now with his head held high?"
But then the greatness of #Dhoni is: he comes back every time. And swats that full toss for six over midwicket

Keep marching Lieutenant Colonel MS Dhoni!

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) April 15, 2018

That was quite a show by MS Dhoni. Love watching his interviews, loved when he mentioned God has given him enough power he doesn't need to use his back to hit sixes(referring to injury). Kings 11 will be delighted with this win #KXIPvCSK

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 15, 2018

Honestly, MS Dhoni batted as well today as I have seen him in the past. Still produces the same excitement and the same fear (depending on which side you are backing!)

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 15, 2018

MS stands for Mad Skills #Dhoni

— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) April 15, 2018

" I was surprised to know that this was highest score for Dhoni in IPL. I think it was because he bats down and if had batted up he would have couple 100s by now " ~ Nasser Hussain

— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) April 15, 2018

No matter the result. MS Dhoni showing why you should never write off a legend! #Dhoni #IPL #CSK

— Alexandra Hartley (@AlexHartley93) April 15, 2018

It felt like Dhoni vs the world. What a blinder of an innings!  #KXIPvCSK @msdhoni

— Nikhil Chinapa (@nikhilchinapa) April 15, 2018

Sigh, Dhoni. 

— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) April 15, 2018

Dhoni's exhibition of powerful hitting was witnessed after the Chris Gayle show. The Jamaican showed that he was far from being a spent force as his second fastest fifty in the IPL helped KXIP put up a healthy total.

The 38-year-old, who twice went unsold at the auction before being picked up by KXIP for his base price, hammered 66 off 33 balls. The other contributions came from the in-form K L Rahul (37 off 22), Mayank Agarwal (30 off 19) and Karun Nair (29 off 17).

Gayle weaved a 96-run opening partnership alongside Rahul setting up the platform for a big score. The West Indies raced to his half-century off 22 balls, a shade slower than his 17 ball fifty against Pune in 2013.

For CSK , Shardul Thakur and Imran Tahir picked up two scalps each while Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo got a wicket each. Harbhajan gave Chennai the first breakthrough when Rahul was caught by Dwayne Bravo, but by then KXIP were comfortably placed and reached 100 in just 8.4 overs. Two overs later Gayle too departed, handing over a simple catch to Imran Tahir at short fine leg off Shane Watson's bowling.

Tahir dealt a double blow in innings' 16th over removing a set Agarwal and Aaron Finch, who was out for a first-ball duck for the second game in a row. Yuvraj Singh (20 off 13), who struggled in the first two games, seemed to get into his groove before Thakur had him caught behind off a short ball. The Punjab openers made their intentions clear right from the first over when Rahul dispatched medium pacer Deepak Chahar for two boundaries.

The second and third overs of the innings bowled by Harbhajan and Chahar somewhat contained the two openers, but the off-spinner was severely punished in his second over. After a boundary, Gayle hit Harbhajan for a towering six over long off which was followed by two stylish boundaries from Rahul.

The first bowling change introduced by Dhoni to bring in Shradul Thakur did not help as Punjab batsmen continued their blistering strikes. The medium pacer was greeted by two boundaries by the West Indian while Rahul too hit a four of him. Punjab raced to 50 in just 30 balls and there was no respite in sight for Dhoni's bowlers.

(Inputs from PTI)