MS Dhoni gave the Lucknow crowd a paisa vasool performance at the Ekana Stadium with his unbeaten 9-ball 28 against LSG
If there is one thing oppositions of Chennai Super Kings have understood through the course of the 17 season in Indian Premier League (IPL) is that they even if they host the side at their home venue, they are still partly or entirely playing an away game. Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins, flabbergasted at the sight of it in Hyderabad, admitted it earlier this season, and on Friday, it was Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul who accepted it after shortly after their win against CSK.
MS Dhoni reacts to reception from Lucknow crowd
The craze around CSK was and remains to be around one person – MS Dhoni. Heading into the match at the Ekana Stadium, LSG shared a picture of a hoarding that read: “Hum chahte hain ki Dhoni achha khele, Par match LSG jeet jaaye (We want Dhoni to play well, but LSG should win the match). Match 34: 3+4=7. Thala for a reason.” And that was precisely what happened at the venue on Friday.
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Dhoni did not get to bat in CSK’s previous game in Lucknow, but he gave a paisa vasool performance for the “mini Chennai crowd,” as Rahul put it in the post-match presentation, as he clobbered an unbeaten 28 runs in just nine balls, which comprised a never-seen-before-six and a 101-metre monstrous hit over cow corner.
After the match, as the crowd kept cheering for Dhoni, who was standing near the CSK dugout, the former captain responded to the reception from the spectators with priceless ‘thank you’ gesture.
Dhoni’s third explosive cameo down the order for CSK did propel the score to 176 for six in 20 overs after the batting line-up seemingly struggled on the two-paced track, but it wasn’t enough for the defending champions to secure a win in Lucknow.
Rahul’s second half-century knock in the ongoing IPL 2024, en route to a 53-ball 82, and a 134-run stand alongside fellow opener Quinton de Kock was enough for LSG to secure their fourth win in the season. The home team wrapped up the chase with just an over to spare as Chennai incurred their third loss on the road this season.
