Dhoni’s heroics seal win for CSK against LSG
With this win, CSK ended their five-match losing streak and made a much-needed comeback in the tournament.
KATHMANDU: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again proved why he is hailed as one of the greatest finishers in cricket, leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a thrilling five-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL on Monday.
With this win, CSK ended their five-match losing streak and made a much-needed comeback in the tournament.
Chasing a target of 167, CSK reached the total with three balls to spare, losing five wickets in the process.
The star of the match was undoubtedly MS Dhoni, who played a match-winning knock of 26* off just 11 deliveries to bag the Player of the Match award.
Shivam Dube played a crucial supporting role, scoring 43 runs off 37 balls.
The innings was set up by openers Rachin Ravindra and Saika Rasheed, who added 52 runs in just 29 balls for the first wicket.
Rachin made a quick 37 off 22 balls, while Rasheed contributed 27 off 19 deliveries.
In the middle overs, LSG’s spinners tightened the grip on CSK. Digvijay Rathi bowled economically, giving away just 23 runs in four overs and picking up a wicket.
Ravi Bishnoi chipped in with two wickets for 18 runs in his three overs, and part-time bowler Aiden Markram also claimed one wicket for 25 runs from his full quota.
The turning point came after the dismissal of Vijay Shankar in the 15th over, with CSK still needing 56 runs off the final 5 overs.
That’s when Dhoni took charge, calmly steering the chase with his trademark composure and powerful hitting.
Earlier, LSG posted 166/7 after being put into bat. Rishabh Pant top-scored with a solid 63 off 49 balls. Mitchell Marsh added 30, while Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad chipped in with 17 and 20 runs respectively.
For CSK, Matheesha Pathirana and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each. Though Noor Ahmad went wicketless, he impressed with his economical spell, conceding just 13 runs from four overs.
Despite this morale-boosting win, CSK remains at the bottom of the points table with four points.
Meanwhile, LSG, with eight points, continues to hold the fourth spot.
