NEW DELHI: Whenever
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
steps onto the field, fans anticipate thrilling performances from the legendary cricketer, whether he stands behind the stumps to keep wickets or in front to smash the bowlers. And the former India and Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) skipper hasn't disappointed this Indian Premier League (IPL) seaaon on any count.
Dhoni has been in outstanding form during
IPL 2024
, sending bowlers on a leather hunt while scoring at a strike rate of 255.88.
In the match against the Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam, Dhoni came in to bat at number 8 and scored an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where India famously clinched the 2011 ODI World Cup title with Dhoni hitting the winning six, was once again awaiting 'Mahi Magic', and he did not disappoint the fans.
Dhoni blasted three consecutive sixes off Hardik Pandya, scoring an impressive 20* runs from just four deliveries.
In CSK's last match against the Lucknow Super Giants, Dhoni delivered another powerful performance, scoring 28 runs off just nine balls. His unbeaten innings included three fours and two sixes.
Despite his excellent form and ability to rapidly increase the run-rate, it remains unclear why Dhoni is not batting up the order for CSK this season.
While explaining the reason, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said: "It is inspirational, his batting this season, even in the nets, has been very crisp and the team is not surprised to see what he is doing. His skill level during the pre-season was very high. Other years he had a problem with his knee and he is still recovering, which is why there are only a certain amount of balls he can function well. I think everyone wants to see him for longer as we do, but that amount of time is right; we need him for the tournament."
"That 2-3 over cameo, he is owning that space, it is up to the rest of the batting unit to get us sort of in a good position where he can push us over the top and he is doing that pretty much every time at the moment, which is great to watch and what an amazing atmosphere when he comes out and entertains. We are incredibly proud of what he has achieved and we marvel at the amount of love that he gets. We are incredibly proud that he is part of our side and he is pretty much the heartbeat of our side," Fleming said after the match against LSG.
CSK, who visited Lucknow on the back of two consecutive wins, suffered their third defeat in the tournament, but retained their third position on the points table.
CSK will face Lucknow Super Giants again on April 23, but this time as hosts in Chennai.
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