MS Dhoni couldn’t quite deliver the magic fans were hoping for during Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, May 20. Walking in to bat in the 14th over, Dhoni had enough time to build an innings and anchor the finish, but the veteran struggled to find rhythm and managed just 16 runs off 17 balls.
His stay at the crease was cut short in dramatic fashion, thanks to a sharp catch from former CSK teammate Tushar Deshpande. Facing the final over of the innings bowled by Akash Madhwal, Dhoni received a low full toss outside the off-stump. He connected well, eyeing a boundary through the off-side, but Deshpande reacted brilliantly, throwing his hands up and snatching a stunning catch out of thin air to end Dhoni’s innings.
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CSK, who were sent in to bat, found themselves in early trouble, losing Devon Conway and Urvil Patel within the first two overs for just 12 runs. However, youngster Ayush Mhatre once again proved his mettle with a fiery 43 off just 20 deliveries, giving CSK a much-needed early push before falling to Deshpande in the final over of the powerplay.
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Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were promoted up the order in a surprising tactical move, but neither managed to make an impact. At 78 for 5 in the 8th over, CSK were in deep trouble.
Dewald Brevis, however, reignited the innings with a blistering 42 off 24 balls, including several clean strikes before being bowled by Madhwal. Shivam Dube then anchored the innings and stitched together a crucial 43-run partnership with Dhoni, steadying the ship in the final phase.
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CSK eventually finished at 187/8. For Rajasthan, both Yudhvir Singh and Akash Madhwal were outstanding with the ball, each picking up three key wickets to keep CSK in check.
