IPL 2018, KXIP vs CSK: Hits and Misses

#1 Hit: MS Dhoni

Dhoni almost took CSK home from a very difficult situation

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been coping a lot of criticism for his T20 batting in recent times. However, he has silenced the critics in style. He scored 5 and 25 in the first two games, Dhoni walked into bat with CSK 56/3.

He started off well as he scored a couple of boundaries early and reached 12 off 6. He then knocked around a few deliveries and reached 23 off 20 balls.

After the end of the 12th over, MS Dhoni was struggling with some back issues and hence it was becoming difficult for him to run hard and also hit a few shots wide outside the off-stump.

But then Dhoni put his beast mode on as he struck the ball cleanly. But with 59 needed in 3 overs, the game looked beyond CSK even with Dhoni at the crease. He struck a four and a six in the 18th over to keep CSK in the game.

It was in the 19th over that Dhoni raised hopes of an unlikely CSK win. Dhoni hit a couple of sixes and a four to reduce the equation to 17 off the last over.

However, his back problems came to haunt him as it was difficult for Dhoni to reach out to those wide deliveries, but Mohit Sharma was spot on with his wide yorkers as Dhoni could only manage 10 runs as KXIP handed CSK their first defeat of the season.

Dhoni’s valiant 79 off 44 balls (with 6 fours and 5 sixes) was one of his best IPL knocks.