MS DHONI scored an unbeaten 26 to help Chennai Super Kings end their five-match losing streak with a five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL on Monday.
Chasing 167, Chennai reached the target with three balls to spare, thanks to a 57-run unbeaten stand between Shivam Dube and Dhoni at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.
Dube made 43 off 37 balls, hitting the winning boundary. Dhoni, 43, came in at number seven and scored 26 off 11 balls, including four fours and a six. He was captaining the side again after Ruturaj Gaikwad missed the match due to injury.
"Good to win a game, unfortunately the games haven't gone our way, it gives a lot of confidence to the team," Dhoni said after receiving his first IPL player of the match award since 2019.
"It was a tough game, glad to be on the winning side and hopefully it gives us momentum."
Despite the win, Chennai remain at the bottom of the 10-team table with two victories in seven matches.
Chennai started well with openers Shaik Rasheed and Rachin Ravindra adding 52 runs in the first five overs. Ravindra made 37. Rasheed scored 27 before being dismissed by Avesh Khan.
Aiden Markram, brought in as a part-time spinner, dismissed Ravindra, while impact substitute Ravi Bishnoi removed Rahul Tripathi for nine and Ravindra Jadeja for seven, putting pressure on Chennai.
Dube and Dhoni then steadied the chase. Dhoni was welcomed by loud cheers from the Lucknow crowd, which largely supported Chennai.
Pant hits form
Lucknow posted 166-7 after being asked to bat first. It was their third loss in seven matches, but captain Rishabh Pant returned to form with a 63-run knock.
"We had to keep stitching in partnerships. The wicket was stopping a bit, but we could have got 15 runs more I feel," Pant said.
On his innings, he added: "I am feeling better with each and every game, but sometimes it doesn't come off. (I'm) Slowly getting into my rhythm, taking every match at a time."
Pant, who had low scores in his previous five innings, started cautiously with the team on 23-2. He played six dot balls to Noor Ahmad during his knock but went on to score four fours and four sixes in 49 balls.
He shared partnerships of 50 with Mitchell Marsh (30) and 53 with Abdul Samad (20). Pant was dismissed by Matheesha Pathirana, who took two wickets in the final over.
Jadeja took 2-24 in his three overs. Noor Ahmad bowled four overs for 13 runs and leads the season’s bowling chart with 12 wickets.
(With inputs from AFP)
