IPL 2016: Five things that stood out

#4 No Mahendra Singh Dhoni in play-offs

Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed out on the playoffs for the first time in his IPL career

When the decision was made to suspend Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - one of the most successful teams across seasons in IPL; their fans were distraught. But they took solace in the fact that their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be representing another team and if not their team, at least their captain will have a successful season.

But much to the dismay of CSK & Dhoni fans, for the first time in the nine-year-old history of IPL; there was no Dhoni in the play-off stage of the tournament. Dhoni’s team, Rising Pune Supergiants won only five of their fourteen matches and were out of contention for a spot in the playoffs pretty early.

This was a sight which Dhoni fans would not have imagined before the start of the tournament. In fact, his team had one of the strongest batting line-up on paper. They were haunted by injuries to key players and Dhoni’s own form did not help the cause. Apart from a last over flourish against the Kings XI Punjab, in which Dhoni scored 23 runs to take the Pune team home; he was not his usual self with the bat.