As the IPL slowly unfolds, we saw the two new teams face each other for the first time ever. Also, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni faced against each other for the first time ever as these old team-mates now captained the two debutants.
One would have expected Dhoni to get the better of his old team-mate due to the huge experience he has. However, it seems as though the beginners luck was with Suresh Raina as his team comfortably won against Pune Supergiants.
There were plenty of moments from the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
#1 Faf fury
One of the best things about life is watching this man at the peak of his powers. This is why Dhoni rates him so highly as when he has a good start, the whole team benefits from it.
There are very few players in world cricket who can smack the ball like he does. So when he took the attack against the Gujarat Lions, they were left reeling.
In 43 balls, he scored 69 runs to give his team a quick start. Once he fell, however, they couldn’t post the total that was being promised when he was the on the crease. It could have been worse if it wasn’t for…
#2 A Dashing Dhoni slog
Before the captaincy and the fame, he was a simple guy from Ranchi with long hair, someone whose hard-hitting approach made us fall in love with him. With captaincy, however, that ruthless approach has gone as he is now more composed than before.
However, every now and then, that incarnation of ‘Mahi’ appears and amazes us with his brutal hitting. Today was one such day.
As the team was collapsing and it looked like they would be bundled out for under 150, Dhoni made sure Du Plessis’ effort didn't go in vain. He came and scored 22 runs in just 10 balls, which included 2 fours and a six to make sure that Pune put up a challenging score.
#3 Sir Jadeja strikes
It is not often that Ravindra Jadeja becomes the talk of the day for his bowling, but when he does, he automatically becomes a ‘sir’ among the mere mortals.
He might be the favourite meme of the cricket fraternity, but there are days where his balls become almost impossible to read and hence play. And, unfortunately for Pune, he was in that mood today.
As Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis were running away with the game, he came in and bowled one of the best spells of his life. In 4 overs, he took 2 wickets and gave away only 18 runs—a spell that saved 20 runs for his team.
#4 Finch and McCullum’s start
After Pune’s innings was concluded, the orange cap was placed on the head of Faf du Plessis as he led the scoring charts in the IPL 2016. However, before the match had even concluded, he lost it to Aaron Finch—the man in fine form.
In 36 balls, he completed a half century. With 7 fours and 2 sixes, he scored 80% of his runs in boundaries.
On the other end, Brendon McCullum was on a roll himself as he fell short of scoring a 50 by just a single run. Baz, as he is fondly called, was the quicker of the two as he scored his 49 in just 31 balls—and hit 3 sixes and four each to get there and win the game for Gujarat with that blazing start itself.
#5 Murugan Ashwin’s comeback
In a team that has Ravichandran Ashwin, you are most likely to be the lesser used Ashwin. However, if your captain is MS Dhoni, you can be assured that you will get enough chances even if you get smacked left and right.
That is what happened with Murugan Ashwin as he was taken to the cleaners by Aaron Finch.
In his first over, he gave away 19 runs. At that point, any other captain would not have brought him back for a second over. But Dhoni is not your usual captain.
He not only brought him back, but he gave him a full set of 4 overs. And he repaid the faith of his captain by taking Finch’s wicket in the very next over itself. He ended the game with respectable figures of 31/2 after 4—which meant that he conceded just 11 runs in his last 3 overs while taking 2 wickets.
Watch out for the kid, he has got some strong mentality.
