Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might have secured a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs if MS Dhoni hadn’t got out. After being hit for a six on the first ball of the final over, Yash Dayal outfoxed Dhoni on the very next delivery with a slower one. Dhoni went for a maximum but the lack of pace on the ball saw him find Swapnil Singh at deep backward square leg. Dhoni joined Jadeja when CSK required 72 runs off 30 balls and the duo managed to add 61 runs in 25 balls.
And after Dhoni hit Dayal for a six off the very first ball, it seemed that CSK might pull off another great escape, despite the game already out of their hands.
But, Dhoni’s dismissal turned the tide of the match as Dayal only conceded one run from the next five balls.
“MS Dhoni was there along with Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni kept them alive. Maybe this was the last time we saw Dhoni. He hit the longest six of this season – 110 meters. He also hit two fours on the leg side. If MS Dhoni hadn’t gotten out to the back-of-the-hand ball, he would have won the game (taken CSK to the playoffs),” Chopra said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
Chopra also hailed Dayal for making a strong comeback in the final over, which secured RCB a place in the playoffs.
“From where he started, it didn’t seem like winning the game was possible. Not winning, you know I am talking about 201, winning the match was beyond them. Jadeja was hitting sixes off the first ball of every over. However, Yash Dayal bowled well in the last over. Only 17 runs were required. He saved them and RCB won with a decent margin and progressed,” he added.
While it was ecstasy for RCB, the legion of fans of Dhoni sank into despair as it could potentially be the last time they witnessed their ‘Thala’ perform on a cricket field.
Down and out after losing seven out of their first eight games, RCB had weaved five wins on the trot to script a remarkable turnaround and give themselves a chance to make it to the final four.
On Saturday, the hosts needed to win by at least 18 runs to book the final play-off berth and they did that in style with yet another impressive show at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
(With PTI Inputs)
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