Former India player Aakash Chopra has praised MS Dhoni for playing a well-paced innings in the CSK’s IPL 2025 win against KKR. He added that Dhoni started sedately but made sure his team reach the finish line once Shivam Dube was dismissed. KKR set a 180-run target where Dhoni scored an unbeaten 17 off 18 deliveries in the chase as they registered a two-wicket win with two balls to spare as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Shivam Dube scored crucial runs. This season hasn’t been as bad as it looks. He bats at No. 7. They send him when the entire batting is over. So he is left alone if someone gets out from the other end. However, he was there and Mahi (Dhoni) was there with him. MS Dhoni didn’t do anything at the start. He was taking singles, doing Test-match batting, and Shivam Dube was playing a few big shots. However, as soon as Shivam Dube got out, Mahi said he would take the game till the end because Vaibhav (Arora) would bowl the 19th over and (Andre) Russell would bowl the 20th over, and he would manage them.”
ALSO READ: “Aap Lucknow ke naye nawab hain” – Aakash Chopra on Rishabh Pant’s appointment as LSG captain
He shared that MS Dhoni struck a huge six before Anshul Kamboj clinched the win with a stunning four.
“So he played the hide-and-seek game for a long time. One yorker was missed and the guy hit a six. Then only one run was required to tie the match. He took a single and Anshul Kamboj finished the match with a four. Interestingly, Chennai have won three matches in total this season and Mahi had a hand in two, the chase against LSG and Kolkata,” Chopra said.
While talking about the start of CSK’s chase, Aakash Chopra stated that they lost both their openers for ducks, with their new signing Urvil Patel, batting at No. 3.
“Ayush Mhatre and Devon Conway got out for zeroes, and in came Urvil Patel. He has scored the fastest century in SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and has scored the second-fastest century in List A cricket. He is a wicketkeeper-batter, and he too has been called. They might even release Shaik Rasheed, but keep Mhatre and Urvil Patel. Wicketkeeping-batting option, don’t know how long MS Dhoni will play. He played a very good knock. Dewald Brevis – another wildcard entry. He scored a fifty. He hit Vaibhav Arora for 30 runs in an over,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
