Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to winning ways in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets on April 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. During the match, the entire Chepauk crowd went berserk after MS Dhoni came in to bat No. 5 in the run chase. He remained unbeaten on one run off three deliveries as CSK chased down the modest target of 138 runs with more than two overs to spare.
MS Dhoni gifts bat to Rahmanullah Gurbaz
After the win against KKR, Dhoni gifted his signed bat to the KKR wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The heartwarming moment was shared by the Afghanistan player on social media. He shared a post with Dhoni on his Instagram to show his joy after meeting him. He captioned the picture and wrote, “controlling the controllable MS”.
Gurbaz did not get a chance to play a match in the IPL 2024 as KKR preferred Phil Salt over him. They have brought in Salt as a replacement for Jason Roy who pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. Salt was acquired for his reserve auction price of Rs. 1.5 crore by the two-time champions. KKR went for Salt after the England batter slammed two consecutive centuries in the T20I series against the West Indies. In four games of the IPL 2024, Salt has racked up 102 runs at an average of 25.5 with a strike rate of 139.72. His top score is 54 against Surisers Hyderabad (SRH).
CSK seal two points in points table
After facing two straight defeats, CSK finally sealed two points after beating KKR on April 8. It was CSK’s third win in five games. CSK's captain Ruturaj Gaikwad finished the match and remained unbeaten on 67 runs off 58 balls with nine boundaries. Ravindra Jadeja won the ‘player of the match’ award after he dismissed Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Venkatesh Iyer. Tushar Deshpande also claimed three wickets to help CSK restrict the visitors to 137/9.
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