MS Dhoni hit three fours and one six in his six-ball cameo of 18 runs as he helped Chennai Super Kings get over the line in a thriller.
Skipper MS Dhoni stood for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when they needed him the most as they qualified for another final beating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the first Qualifier in Dubai on Sunday. It was a game that ebbed and flowed throughout the 40 overs but it was the finisher, the man, who kept his calm and cool to win it for his team, as he has done for a number of years.
The chase started with Delhi Capitals' star bowler in the UAE leg Anrich Nortje knocking the poles of his countryman Faf du Plessis in the very first over and all of a sudden everyone thought that CSK might be in trouble since it's the opening partnership that has done so well for them but the men in yellow and their No 3 had different ideas.
Robin Uthappa made a statement with a four off his first ball through the covers and the match was on. Uthappa then played a couple of behind the keeper but his best came in the final over of the powerplay where he tore into Avesh Khan hitting two sixes and as many fours and CSK were dictating terms now.
It was like Uthappa and Gaikwad were in their own zone and Delhi Capitals having one of the best bowling attacks didn't matter for them. They were almost toying with them as they were rotating strike easily, getting boundaries when they needed to, they were just in cruise control and Delhi needed to break that partnership which had gone past 100.
They got that in the form of Shreyas Iyer who kept his cool to avoid a running Axar Patel in front of his eyes to take a catch just inches from the boundary in Tom Curran's first wicket of the game. CSK surprised everyone sending Shardul Thakur at No 4 but the experiment didn't work as Curran removed him too.
In the next over, Shreyas impacted the game again, this time with a bullet throw as he found Ambati Rayudu short of his crease. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad then took the game deep getting the boundaries regularly but got out in the 19th over, only for Dhoni to rewind the time back.
A short ball and Dhoni pulled it towards the leg side for a six and in the final over he hit three fours in a row off Curran to finish the game in style taking his side into their 9th final and it will be his 10th final personally spoiling DC's party, who will have to now go to Sharjah to play the second Qualifier against the winner of the Eliminator.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=spacer}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}