Following the victory, CSK’s captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, lauded the impact of “young wicket-keeper” MS Dhoni, whose explosive cameo at the death turned the tide in their favour.
Gaikwad acknowledged Dhoni’s crucial contribution with the bat, particularly his three sixes in the final over, remarking, “Definitely, a young wicket-keeper scoring that three sixes down the order, I feel it helped a lot.
And at the end that’s the difference.”
Dhoni’s entry onto the field shifted the momentum dramatically for CSK, as the seasoned campaigner displayed his mettle by smashing Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya for a hat-trick of sixes at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Despite joining the fray with just four balls remaining, Dhoni’s blistering knock of 20 runs, including three towering sixes, led CSK’s total to a formidable 206/4 in 20 overs.
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CSK’s dominance was set up earlier by impressive performances from Shivam Dube, who hammered a brisk 66 off 38 balls, and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who notched up a classy 69 off 40 balls.
In response, despite Rohit Sharma’s stellar century, Mumbai Indians struggled to keep up with the required run rate, eventually succumbing to CSK’s bowling attack led by Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who claimed four crucial wickets.