"The best thing that happened tonight was MS Dhoni's captaincy" - Former Aussie captain's huge praise after LSG vs CSK IPL 2025 match

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke praised MS Dhoni for his incredible captaincy in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) five-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 14. Dhoni took over as captain from Ruturaj Gaikwad after the latter was ruled out of the tournament with an elbow injury before CSK's previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

After a massive defeat to KKR a few days back, CSK emerged victorious in Dhoni's second game back at the helm. The Men in Yellow restricted LSG to a sub-par 166/7 in 20 overs, with Dhoni marshaling the troops in style.

In response, the 43-year-old produced one of his famous finishing gigs with an unbeaten 11-ball 26, helping CSK seal the deal in the final over by five wickets.

Speaking about Dhoni's impact on CSK's win on Star Sports, Clarke said (Via India Today):

"The best thing that happened tonight was MS Dhoni's captaincy. It was phenomenal. He read the situation, he adjusted to the conditions, he bowled his spinners in tandem, exactly like MS Dhoni has done his entire career. He got them on, they rushed through the overs, they changed the pace of the game, they used the surface, they picked up wickets. I just think his experience out there on the field was defining tonight as captain."

CSK were desperate for a win, having lost their previous five outings to find themselves in last place on the IPL 2025 points table. The Men in Yellow remain at the bottom despite the LSG victory but keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a second win in seven matches.

"He's still the best wicketkeeper in the world" - Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke called MS Dhoni the best wicketkeeper in the world even at the advanced age of 43. Dhoni continued to showcase his prowess behind the stumps in the LSG clash, with a catch and a stumping, followed by a brilliant direct hit at the non-striker's end to run Abdul Samad out.

"It's always loud when MS Dhoni's in town. Look, his keeping does not surprise me. I've said it before, in my opinion, he's still the best wicketkeeper in the world. It's phenomenal how consistent he's been over a long period of time. I thought his captaincy was spot on tonight as well, the way he used both spinners through the middle, got through overs quick, built some pressure," said Clarke,

Dhoni capped off an outstanding night with a sparkling 11-ball 26* to help CSK pull off a final-over thriller and win the Player of the Match award. The 43-year-old walked out to bat with CSK needing 56 off the last five overs and smashed four boundaries and a maximum in his 11-ball stay.