Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ended their 17-year drought at Chepauk in Indian Premier League (IPL), defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 50 runs. Batting first, RCB posted 196/7 in 20 overs. In reply, CSK could only manage 146/8, falling short of the target.
Former captain MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 30 off 16 balls, but by the time he came out to bat in the 16th over, CSK’s defeat was almost inevitable.
In the final over, bowled by Krunal Pandya, Dhoni faced a dot ball on the first delivery. On the second, Krunal surprised everyone by bowling a bouncer, an unusual move for a spinner, catching even Dhoni off guard.
However, Dhoni quickly turned aggressive, launching a massive six on the next ball. He followed it up with another big hit on the fourth delivery and finished the over with a boundary, scoring 16 runs in the over. He ended with a strike rate of 187.50, smashing 3 fours and 2 sixes, but his late surge wasn’t enough to rescue Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from defeat.
MS Dhoni demolishes Krunal Pandya, scores 16 in thrilling over
I don’t get one thing: when MS Dhoni can score runs and hit boundaries, why can’t he move a bit higher up in the batting order? He can still bat better than many above him.
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) March 28, 2025
Dhoni’s lightning-fast stumping
Chennai Super Kings got their first breakthrough thanks to MS Dhoni’s lightning-quick stumping behind the wickets. On the last ball of the 5th over, bowled by Noor Ahmed, Phil Salt attempted a cover drive but missed the ball completely.
Dhoni, showcasing his signature sharp reflexes, collected the ball and dislodged the bails in just 0.16 seconds, catching Salt short of the crease. With this, Salt had to depart after scoring 32 runs.
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