On Sunday, MS Dhoni was in top form, playing an explosive cameo that led Chennai Super Kings to a 20-run victory over Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. Coming in to bat in the final over of the first innings with only four balls remaining, the wicketkeeper-batter blasted Hardik Pandya for three consecutive sixes and a double, powering CSK to a total of 206/4 in their 20 overs.

For MI, Rohit Sharma batted throughout the innings scoring 105* off 63 balls. However, his heroic effort could only take MI to 186/6 in their 20 overs.

All eyes were on MS Dhoni after the first innings. The legendary keeper noticed a young girl among the spectators as he went up the stairs to the dressing room. In a sweet gesture, he gave the little girl the ball he had hit for a six off Hardik, which he had picked up from the stairs.

Given that Dhoni is already 42 years old, this may be his last IPL season. His goal is to win a title before calling it a career.

CSK defeat MI in IPL 'El Classico'

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of CSK, acknowledged Dhoni’s knock after the match. He said,

“Dhoni’s three sixes helped us tremendously, providing the extra runs we needed on this small ground. Bumrah bowled excellently during the middle overs. Despite conceding some good shots, our bowling execution was spot on overall. Given the venue, I would have happily accepted 60 runs in the powerplay from 6 overs. On this ground, you must be precise when bowling and batting.”

“Our Malinga executed those yorkers on the mark. Tushar and Shardul also performed admirably. Moving forward, I believe we should keep things simple, foster positivity and confidence, and maintain our current approach. Since Jinks was nursing a minor injury, we felt it prudent for him to open instead. As captain, I’m comfortable batting anywhere in the order.” continued Gaikwad.

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