Riding on MS Dhoni’s 9-ball 28, Chennai Super Kings posted 176/6 in 20 overs against Lucknow Super Giants.
New Delhi: MS Dhoni has a huge fan base in the country and that is evident in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Wherever the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper goes, the whole stadium erupts in joy of seeing their idol live. In a new high, the sound levels at the Ekana Stadium shot up to 95 decibels as Dhoni came out to bat in the 18th over of the innings following Moeen Ali’s departure against Lucknow Super Giants on Friday.
The sound decibels were captured on LSG cricketer Quinton de Kock’s wife Sasha’s i-watch at 9:02 PM IST. “Loud environment. Sound level hits 95 decibels. Just 10 minutes at this level can cause temporary hearing loss,” read the warning message on Sasha’s watch.
Instagram story of De Kock’s wife.
– The Craze for Dhoni is incredible 💪 pic.twitter.com/DBgifDMbqE
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 19, 2024
Earlier, Dhoni slammed two sixes and three fours in his nine-ball 28 not out to power CSK to 186/6. Coming in the 18th over, Dhoni slammed a four and a six off Mohsin Khan before smashing Yash Thakur for another maximum. He finished the innings with two more fours as 19 runs came off the last over.
Meanwhile, during his innings, Dhoni also achieved a rare milestone to become the first player with 5000 runs as a wicketkeeper in history of IPL. Dhoni now has 5023 runs in his kitty. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Dinesh Karthik is second on the list with 4369 runs.
So far in IPL 2024, Dhoni has scored 87 runs from just 34 balls. However, openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, who made classy fifties on a slow pitch, produced a chasing masterclass to power Lucknow Super Giants to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.
Asked to bat first, Ravindra Jadeja came up with a solid unbeaten 57 before Mooen Ali (30 off 20) and Dhoni went on a six-hitting spree. In reply, Rahul (82) and De Kock (54) batted with authority during their match-winning alliance of 134, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Stadium, as LSG scored 180/2 in 19 overs to recover from back-to-back loss and consolidate their position in the table.
CSK, who came into the match with twin wins, on the other hand, slumped to their third loss in this IPL.