MS Dhoni smashed the ball into the crowd seven times – including to seal the winning runs – in a match that racked up a record number of Indian Premier League sixes as his Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore to go top of the table.
Dhoni hit an unbeaten 34 ball 70 while opener Ambati Rayudu hit eight sixes in his 82 as Chennai passed Bangalore’s 205 for eight with two balls to spare.
Dhoni hit New Zealander Corey Anderson over long on for six to claim the brilliant victory.
It was another addition to a string of dramatic chases the former India skipper has fashioned in the IPL.
Here’s a look at some his other eye-popping knocks:
54*(29) vs KXIP (2010)
Chennai were on the brink of elimination after a poor run during the group stages. They headed to the the scenic HPCA stadium in Dharamsala in a dire situation.
To make matters worse for Chennai, Kings XI Punjab, thanks to Shaun Marsh and Irfan Pathan’s heroics, posted a mammoth score of 193.
Chennai still had a mountain to climb with 104 runs needed from the last 10 overs. S Badrinath and Suresh Raina had laid the platform but Chennai still had a mountain to climb after the former was dismissed. The equation came down to Chennai needing 45 from 20 balls. With the help of Albie Morkel, Dhoni saw his team get over the line with two balls to spare. After hitting the winning six, Dhoni celebrated aggressively, punching his helmet in delight.
64*(49) vs KXIP (2016)
The match had the recipe for a spicy contest: Two bottom-placed teams and former teammates facing each other as captains. The script was very similar to the game from 2010, except, this time, Dhoni had the chance to fashion a last-ball win.
Axar Patel got a harsh lesson heading into the one-on-one battle between the batsman and the bowler that Dhoni so craves for. With 23 needed from the last over, Dhoni hammered three sixes and one four with the final one coming off the last ball. The result was one of the few highs in an otherwise gloomy first season for Dhoni at Rising Pune Supergaint.
RCB 49* (32), 2014
Dhoni could have played this knock in his sleep. It was Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Smith who set the tone at the top of the order with quick runs. Bangalore could have still pulled it back when Dhoni came to the crease but the Chennai skipper didn’t give his opponents even a sniff, pummeling boundaries with utmost ease. Of course, this match too ended with Dhoni putting an end to proceedings with a six.
RCB 70*(40), 2011
Same team, different situation, same result. Bangalore were once again on the receiving end of a Dhoni masterclass. The only difference here was that they had got off to a dream start. By the end of the powerplay overs, four Chennai batsmen had made their way to the dugout.
This was where Dhoni traded his brutality for carefully treading through the middle overs, stitching a vital stand with Saha. The last two overs saw Dhoni tonk the ball to various parts of the ground, finishing with 70 that included six sixes. Chennai, though, went on to lose the game by a comprehensive margin.
MI 51* (20), 2012
In this eliminator match, Mumbai Indians, like Bangalore, got off to a blazing start picking up two early wickets with only a solitary run on the board. While S Badrinath and Michael Hussey put together a 94-run stand, Chennai needed a final push to get to a match-winning score.
Enter Dhoni and Mumbai’s fate was sealed. The Chennai skipper smashed a whirlwind 51 from 20 balls, with almost all of his runs come in the tail end of the innings. Mumbai were never in the contest post chasing a mammoth 188-run target.