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The mighty Mahendra Singh Dhoni yet again lit up the Chepauk Stadium and displayed his vintage avatar when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday (April 30).
Electing to bat, Devon Conway smashed 16 fours and a six in his blistering 52-ball 92 while Ruturaj Gaikwad (37) and Shivam Dube (28) chipped in with useful contributions before the legendary Dhoni (13 not out) smoked two sixes off the last two balls of the innings to take CSK to a commanding 200-run total.
Sam Curran was given the task to bowl the final over with a motive to thwart CSK before 200-run mark. Curran got rid of Ravindra Jadeja in the very first ball. Dhoni walked into the middle with five balls balls to spare with Conway on the non-striker end on 91. Dhoni took a single in the second bowl to bring Conway on strike. The next two balls saw two singles and with two balls to spare Dhoni was again on the strike amid the high decible chants of Dhoni, Dhoni from the Chepauk stands. Dhoni then pulled off a magic and launched the Englishman for two massive sixes to finish CSK's innings and set a 201-run target for for the Punjab Kings.
Watch the video here…
After the CSK's innings Conway while reacting to Dhoni's twin sixes said the atmosphere in the stadium saw a sudden massive roar reacting to MS Dhoni's sixes. He also spoke about how he was focusing on scoring runs for the team and not his hundred as the wicket also allowed him to play freely. He said, "Good wicket. It was a little bit slow at the beginning when the bowlers hit the hard length. You have to be nice and clear whenever you go into bat. Absolutely (on batting for the team team and not for the 100). It was a great atmosphere when it (Dhoni's two sixes) went out of the park."
For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh (1/37), Sam Curran (1/46), Rahul Chahar (1/35) and Sikandar Raza (1/31) took one wicket each.
Follow the CSK vs PBKS' live score here
Earlier, Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first.
“We will bat first. Looks like a decent wicket. When you play a day game, the heat is a factor. The fast bowlers can get some rest. In the day game, few players are too early. It is important to be intelligent. Not to be exposed a lot under the sun. IPL is a longish tournament. There will be games which won't go your way. You have to accept the learnings. It is the same team,” CSK captain MS Dhoni said after winning the toss.
“We would have loved to bat first. It is a day game and a dry wicket. There won't be any dew. A new and a new beginning. We keep on learning from past games. Try to get better. Keep the fighting spirit on. Last match, I tried something but clearly it didn't work. The core is intact. Will go with positive mindset. Harpreet is the only change,” PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan said after the toss.
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Atharva Taide, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
Punjab Kings Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.
Chennai Super Kings Subs: Akash Singh, Dwaine Pretorius, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, RS Hangargekar.
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