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Tag: MS Dhoni

  • Another six from Dhoni, another CSK victory: ‘Men-in-yellow’ reaches IPL play-offs 

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Chennai Super Kings produced a convincing performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad to maintain their remarkable consistency this season and sail into the Indian Premier League play-offs here on Thursday.

    The bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood (3/24) and Dwayne Bravo (2/17), restricted SRH to 134 for seven after M S Dhoni opted to bowl first on a slow surface.

    Chasing the total, in-form openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (45 off 38) and Faf du Plessis (41 off 36) shared a sublime 75-run stand to give CSK an ideal start.

    A mini collapse in the middle overs made the chase interesting before CSK got the job done in 19.

    4 overs with Dhoni (14 not out off 11) hitting the winning six and bringing back memories of his heydays.

    The three-time former champions thus ended the chase, scoring 139 for four, for a convincing six-wicket win.

    With their fourth win in as many games since the tournament’s resumption, CSK showed not making the play-offs last season was just a blip in their successful IPL history.

    The Sharjah pitch, which produced high-scoring games last year, has been a complete contrast this season with its slow nature making stroke making difficult.

    Batting in the second innings got easier with the fast-rising Gaikwad displaying supreme skills.

    The confidence with which he played star SRH spinner Rashid Khan was most impressive.

    He charged down the track on Rashid’s second ball and dispatched it for a straight six.

    He also used his feet well against left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma for another crisp boundary.

    Du Plessis too hit some cracking boundaries before falling to a tired shot.

    From a commanding 103 for one, CSK slumped to 108 for four, making the dressing room slightly nervous.

    However, Ambati Rayudu (17 not off 13) avoided a tense finish for his team with a six and four off Bhuvneswar Kumar in the 19th over.

    M S Dhoni remained unbeaten at the other end.

    Earlier, SRH innings never got the momentum it needed.

    Wriddhiman Saha played some delightful shots in his 46-ball 44 but the majority of the SRH batsmen struggled to get going.

    Saha’s two sixes off Deepak Chahar in third over were the highlight of his innings.

    The first one was a hoick over midwicket and the second one was more like a lofted straight drive that cleared the ropes comfortably.

    His opening partner Jason Roy fell cheaply, caught behind off Josh Hazlewood as he went for a wild slog.

    Skipper Kane Williamson struck two fours in his run-a-ball 11 before he was trapped in front by Dwayne Bravo with a full ball that swung away slightly to thud into the New Zealander’s pads.

    SRH were left reeling at 74 for four after a well-set Saha top-edged one off Ravindra Jadeja to be caught by Dhoni.

    SRH, who reached 97 for four in 15 overs, badly needed a final flourish in the last five overs.

    Abdul Samad (18 off 14) and Abhishek Sharma (18 off 13) hit a few sensational shots before Hazlewood removed them in the 17th over.

    CSK were brilliant in the death overs conceding only 37 runs.

  • MS Dhoni’s CSK humble Virat Kohli’s RCB with all-round show, claim top spot

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Chennai Super Kings produced a clinical all-round show to humble Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets and claim the top spot in the IPL pecking order here on Friday.

    RCB skipper Virat Kohli (53) and young Devdutt Padikkal (70) struck brisk half-centuries in an impressive 111-run stand but CSK pulled the strings to restrict them to 156 for six after electing to bowl.

    The in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad came good again with a quick 38 while Faf du Plessis made 31 at the top to lay a strong foundation for CSK to chase the modest target in 18.1 overs.

    The win took CSK to the top spot with 14 points.

    They overtook Delhi Capitals, who also have 14 points, but the yellow brigade has better net run-rate of 1.185, compared to 0.613 of the Delhi team.

    While it was the second consecutive win for CSK, the RCB now have lost both the games post the league’s resumption.

    Gaikwad and Du Plessis added 71 runs in 8.2 overs and later Moeen Ali (23) and Ambati Rayudu (32) also got starts but could not convert those into big knocks.

    Suresh Raina (17) and skipper MS Dhoni (11) ensured that there was no twist in the tale, taking the side past the finish line.

    Neither Mohammed Siraj nor Navdeep Saini could trouble the CSK openers.

    Whether the ball was pitched up, short or bowled at good length, Gaikwad and his Protea partner treated them with equal disdain.

    Gaikwad punched the ball hard and even reverse swept with ease before Kohli pulled off a stunning low catch off wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

    Realising that spinners may turn the game around, Kohli handed the ball to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell and the Australian responded with the wicket of du Plessis, who was guilty of playing a loose shot.

    However, Rayudu and Moeen did not show any respect to the slow bowlers.

    They worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard moving and also got the big shots.

    Earlier, Kohli and Padikkal went hammer and tongs after being asked to take first strike but once the partnership was broken by Dwayne Bravo, RCB lost the momentum.

    RCB managed only 45 runs in the remaining 6.4 overs after being in a position from where they could have pushed for a score in the vicinity of 200.

    Bravo’s bowling made a huge difference to the conclusion of the RCB innings as he conceded only 24 runs in his four overs and also added the wickets of Glenn Maxwell (11) and Harshal Patel (3).

    CSK had no dearth of quality bowlers with Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood opening the attack but Bangalore openers — Kohli and Padikkal — went about striking the ball cleanly.

    Kohli began with consecutive boundaries off Chahar but took a bit of time to find his rhythm.

    The skipper lofted the same bowler for a massive six on the on-side while Padikkal was fluent with his well-timed shots on the off-side.

    Dhoni shuffled his bowlers but none got the length that could either trouble the batsmen or stop the run flow.

    The young left-hander also used his feet well against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, sending the ball soaring over long-on.

    He completed his fifty with a crushing four off Chahar which also raised the team’s hundred.

    The breakthrough eventually came when Bravo sent back Kohli, who struck the ball clean and hard but was caught near the boundary ropes.

    That wicket stemmed the run flow and while trying to break the shackles, both AB De Villiers (12) and Padikkal became victims of Shardul Thakur.

    Maxwell was expected to go after the bowlers and he did that, striking a six off Bravo to raise the team’s 150 in the 18th over, but a late flourish eluded RCB.

  • Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dwayne Bravo got us more than what we expected: CSK skipper MS Dhoni

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dwayne Bravo “got us more than what we expected” after his team was reeling at 24 for four at one stage of its IPL match against Mumbai Indians here on Sunday.

    Gaikwad stroked his way to an unbeaten 88 while veteran Bravo, batting at number eight, smashed 23 off just 8 balls as CSK made 156 for six after opting to bat first.

    The total proved to be more than enough as CSK beat MI by 20 runs.

    “At 30 for 4, you want to put up a respectable score, I felt Rutu and Bravo got us more than what we expected. We thought of 140, to get close to 160 was tremendous,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

    “Rayudu got injured, so it was tough to come back from there but we batted sensibly and finished superbly. It was sensible for one batter to bat right through to the end.”

    Talking about the wicket, Dhoni said, “The wicket was two-paced, slightly slow to start off. Also it’s difficult if you’re batting lower down, if you don’t get a chance to see what is happening, you want to go hard.”

    Dhoni also said that Ambati Rayudu, who retired hurt after getting hit while batting, should be fine by the next match.

    Gaikwad was declared the Player of the Match and he said it was one of his better knocks.

    “Obviously one of my top innings until now, given the pressure we were in. I had to grind it out, bat till 10-12 overs, give myself time and push for 120-130, and then slowly 140-150 was possible. It was a matter of spending time in the middle,” he said.

    “Mahi bhai, everyone in the CSK management, once they back you, they don’t make you think anything but positive things. The Sri Lanka tour and preparation coming here helped a lot.”

    MI’s stand-in captain Kieron Pollard was also all praise for Gaikwad.

    “Ruturaj batted really well. In T20 cricket, if one person bats through he can hurt you. We didn’t finish off well with the ball. Losing by 20 runs you know those were the extra runs we conceded,” he said.

    He did not find any fault with the pitch but blamed poor batting for the defeat.

    “The surface was good, new ball had movement, our seamers got early wickets. Their batters tried to continue the momentum throughout, we didn’t do that.”

    “Even though they got 150-plus, as a batting team we could have gotten that. Losing three wickets was a cardinal sin for us. Given the circumstances, Saurabh (Tiwary, 50 not out) batted really well,” he said.

  • CSK skipper MS Dhoni wins toss, elects to bat against Mumbai Indians

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat against defending champions Mumbai Indians, who are being led by Kieron Pollard in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, as IPL action resumed here on Sunday.

    The IPL-14 was postponed after the coronavirus breached its bio-bubble in May.

    Dashing all-rounder Hardik Pandya is also missing the game for MI, making the way for Anmolpreet Singh’s debut.

    On Rohit’s absence, Pollard said, “He is okay, we will see him sooner rather than later. He is the captain of this ship. I am just standing in.”

    For CSK, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo and Josh Hazlewood are the four foreigners playing in the match.

    Teams:

    Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C), Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

    Mumbai Indians: Kieron Pollard (C),Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult

  • MS Dhoni, Anand Mahindra named in 15-member defence ministry panel on NCC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni and industrialist Anand Mahindra were on Thursday named in a 15-member panel constituted by the defence ministry to carry out a comprehensive review of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in order to make it more relevant.

    The committed headed by former lawmaker Baijayant Panda includes Col. (Retd) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Principal Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry Sanjeev Sanyal and Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar.

    Former vice-chancellor of the SNDT Women’s University Vasudha Kamat, National Organising Secretary of Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal Mukul Kanitkar, Maj Gen (retd) Alok Raj, Managing Director of SIS India Ltd Rituraj Sinha and CEO of Databook Anand Shah are also members of the panel.

    Dhoni’s inclusion in the high-level panel came days after he was appointed mentor for India’s T20 cricket world cup team. The former India captain is a Lieutenant Colonel (Honorary) in the Indian Army. The defence ministry said the committee has been constituted for a comprehensive review of the NCC in order to make it more relevant in changing times.

    “The terms of reference of the committee, inter-alia, broadly provide for suggesting measures which can empower NCC cadets to contribute more effectively towards nation-building and national developmental efforts in various sectors,” it said.

    Officials said the committee will propose measures for gainful engagement of the NCC cadets for the betterment of the organisation as a whole and to recommend best practices of similar international youth organisations for inclusion in the NCC curriculum.

    The NCC is the largest organisation in uniform that aims at developing character, discipline, a secular outlook and ideals of selfless service among young citizens, the ministry said in a statement. It also aims to create a pool of organised, trained and motivated youth with leadership qualities in all walks of life.

    The NCC was formed under the National Cadet Corps act in 1948.

  • IPL 2021: MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings depart for UAE

    By ANI

    CHENNAI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday departed for Dubai as they gear up to play the remaining leg of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    CSK shared a picture of Dhoni in which the former India skipper can be seen with his suitcase as he gears up to leave for UAE. “Get ready folks!” CSK tweeted.

    Having retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020, Dhoni now only plays in the IPL and will be back in action when the UAE leg of the cash-rich league resumes on September 19.

    Mode ON#UrsAnbudenEverywhere#WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/yHE4c2Qk4X
    — Chennai Super Kings – Mask Pdu Whistle Pdu! (@ChennaiIPL) August 13, 2021
    Earlier in the day, defending champions Mumbai Indians also departed for UAE. Mumbai Indians will lock horns with CSK on September 19 to resume IPL 2021. The final game of the league stage will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals on October 8.

    Also, the BCCI has decided to do away with contact tracing devices for the UAE leg of IPL. The Indian board has decided that Bubble Integrity Officers will do the necessary contact tracing if any player tests positive for COVID-19 in UAE.

    The board has come up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.

  • MS Dhoni is ‘master’, we have huge respect for CSK: RCB coach Simon Katich

    By ANI
    MUMBAI:  Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich labelled MS Dhoni as ‘master’ and said that his side has a huge amount of respect for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

    RCB and CSK will be locking horns against each other later today at the Wankhede Stadium. RCB and CSK are currently at the top two positions in the IPL points table.

    “Dhoni is a master, isn’t he? They are sitting at the top with three wins, they have had a fantastic start, they have fantastic players, we have a huge amount of respect for CSK, it is going to be great game, we have seen some great games in Mumbai already. CSK has a very damaging batting lineup but we know our bowling lineup has performed well this season,” said Katich in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

    Pacer Kane Richardson who played his first game of the season for RCB against Rajasthan Royals also said that CSK has a fantastic batting lineup so RCB will have their task cut out.

    “It was enjoyable to finally play. It has been good watching the boys play in the first three games but it was good to finally get out there and play and be a part of the winning team. I have been rusty myself, it was great,” said Richardson.

    “It all depends on the conditions at the Wankhede. Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad, are in form and they are batting well, so we will come up with some plans to stop them. They have experience throughout their team, they have won a lot of IPLs so it is going to be a really good game,” he added.

    RCB has won all their four matches and the side is at the top of the IPL table with eight points.

    On the other hand, CSK has won three games and lost one in the ongoing edition of the IPL. 

  • CSK vs RCB Preview, IPL 2021: It’s Dhoni vs Kohli in clash of table-toppers

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: Table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on second-placed Chennai Supers Kings (CSK) in what will be a battle between the current India captain Virat Kohli and former India captain MS Dhoni in an Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

    While RCB have a clean slate, having won four out of four matches in the tournament so far, CSK have won three out of their four matches.

    Both the teams have looked in great form although CSK would be a tad worried with the way their bowling wilted under the onslaught from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lower order comprising Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins, in their last match. The KKR trio took their team from 31/5 to 202 and just 18 runs short of CSK total.

    With RCB batting looking by far the best in the tournament, CSK need to be wary. Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Kohli shared an unbeaten 181-run partnership for the opening wicket as RCB romped to a 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.

    Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers are also in the RCB line-up, meaning CSK will have to bowl really well to stop the Bengaluru franchise from putting up a big score.

    For CSK, the concern will be the form of Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu. While both openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis have done well, the decision to promote Moeen Ali to No. 3 has also paid dividends as the left-handed batsman has batted aggressively.

    However, Raina and Rayudu haven’t done much and instead have been guilty of throwing their wickets away.

    MS Dhoni will also be in focus as he has looked to promote himself and play some shots. CSK’s back-end though, with Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo has been quite good and effective.

    Squads:

    Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Suresh Raina, Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Karn Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M. Harisankar Reddy, K.Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth, R Sai Kishore, Jason Behrendorff.

    Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Finn Allen (wicket-keeper), AB de Villiers (wicket-keeper), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, K.S. Bharat.

    Match starts at 3.30 p.m.

  • IPL 2021: MS Dhoni knows what he’s doing, pleasure to play under him, says Faf du Plessis

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batsman Faf du Plessis has said that skipper MS Dhoni knows what he is doing in the middle and it is an absolute honour to play under the former India skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    CSK hammered KKR bowlers all around the park to register a score of 220/3 in the allotted 20 overs. Faf du Plessis remained unbeaten on 95 while Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 64 runs off just 42 balls. Skipper MS Dhoni also scored 17 runs off eight balls while Jadeja dispatched his first and only ball of the innings for a six.

    “This was the most fluent I’ve felt so far. Felt the previous game things started to get better. Tonight was another step. It’s about the rhythm of the flow of the hands. Few games before this and even tonight spinners were the best bowlers. Even Jadeja bowled well for us. The ball just grips a bit. We thought the seamers from the other side we can catch up,” du Plessis told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.

    “Gaikwad is a fantastic young talent. Those first couple of balls you can feel on edge as a batter. Beautiful to see him trust the timing and the technique. For a small guy he hits the ball a long way. Been very lucky playing under MS for a long time. He knows what he’s doing, pleasure to play under him. There was dew tonight and then it was a proper batter’s game. That’s when Russell’s at his dangerous when he’s got nothing to lose,” he added.

    At one stage, KKR was left reeling at 31/5 but Andre Russell and Pat Cummins played knocks of 54 and 66 to keep Eoin Morgan’s side in the hunt, but CSK managed to hold their nerve to register a thrilling victory.

    No one from KKR’s top-order managed to stay at the crease for long as Deepak Chahar scalped four wickets. In the end, the target proved too much for Morgan’s side to chase.

    CSK is currently at the top of the points table with 6 points from four games. The side will next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday.

  • IPL 2021, CSK vs RR: Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals in battle to gain momentum

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Three-time champion Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals would look to build on their first wins and gain momentum when they clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL), here on Monday.

    The two sides bounced back after losing their opening fixtures with wins, albeit in contrasting styles.

    While the MS Dhoni-led CSK had it easy against Punjab Kings, the Royals scraped through against Delhi Capitals in the final over.

    Both teams would be eyeing a second win to give their campaign a boost.

    CSK hit back superbly after a chastening defeat to Capitals with Deepak Chahar putting his hand up with a four-wicket haul to break the back of the Punjab batting line-up, setting up a six-wicket victory.

    Skipper Dhoni would have been happy with the bowlers’ performance after they had been taken to the cleaners by Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan in the opener.

    Chahar, in particular, came up with a fine spell, which helped CSK restrict its opponent to a below par 106 which the batsmen chased down without much trouble.

    The Super Kings will expect Chahar to continue the good work while also hoping that Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur and the others also step up.

    Also, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi is out of quarantine and could be drafted into the playing XI to give more teeth to the CSK pace attack.

    England all-rounder Moeen Ali was in the thick of action in the win over Punjab and that should please the CSK think-tank.

    He picked up a wicket with his off-spin and batted fluently.

    Faf du Plessis made an unbeaten 36 despite not being at his fluent best and would hope to build on the knock while the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu need runs to get their confidence back.

    Suresh Raina’s presence has certainly boosted the CSK batting unit and his form will be crucial in the long run.

    He will be keen to get a big score after returning to the IPL with a fifty.

    Dhoni didn’t bat in the game against Punjab after a duck in the opening match.

    It remains to be seen if the captain chooses to push himself up the order and gives himself the opportunity to find some form.

    Meanwhile, Royals will be keen to build on the win over Capitals after a dramatic four-run loss to Punjab.

    Skipper Sanju Samson hit a magnificent ton which almost single-handedly won the opener for them and his form along with that of Jos Buttler and David Miller will be crucial to their chances in the tournament.

    Royals would like to see their batsmen fire in unison as the top-order collapsed against Delhi before Miller and Chris Morris pulled them past the line.

    The experienced pacer Jaydev Unadkat underscored his value with a superb spell against Delhi while the young Chetan Sakariya has shown promise.

    The experience of Morris and Mustafizur Rahman could be crucial in tight situations.

    The Royals bowlers would aim to strike early blows to stifle the CSK batting which has not been dominant while the batsmen need to step up in what promises to be an interesting battle between two sides led by wicket-keepers.

    Teams (From):

    Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

    Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.

    Match starts at 7.30 PM.