Did MS Dhoni's massive 110m six cost CSK a spot in playoffs?
MS Dhoni smashed a gigantic six off the first ball of the final over bowled by Yash Dayal but was dismissed on the next ball.
Chennai Super Kings were knocked out of the IPL 2024 playoffs as they lost a must-win game to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday (May 18). CSK were set a target of 219 runs to win but they needed just 201 runs to qualify for the playoffs.
But unfortunately for them, they were reduced to 191-7 in 20 overs. Despite MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja playing blistering cameos in the end, CSK fell short of the target. This was just the third time in their 15 IPL appearances that CSK have not qualified for the playoffs.
Did MS Dhoni's massive 110m six cost CSK a spot in playoffs?
In the last over, Chennai Super Kings needed 17 runs to qualify for the playoffs and MS Dhoni was on strike. The first ball of the over bowled by left-arm quick Yash Dayal was a high-full toss on the leg-stump which Dhoni obliged and smashed it behind the wicket for a massive six.
The replays showed that the six was measured at 110m. The ball cleared the Chinnaswamy roof and went out of the stadium. As a result, the ball had to be changed as well. Earlier, the RCB bowlers struggled to grip the ball as it was wet and as a result, bowled a few full tosses and no-balls too.
But as the ball had to be replaced after Dhoni's massive six, Yash Dayal could grip the ball well and could control his back of the hand slower ones. With the replaced drier ball, Dayal pocketed Dhoni's wicket in the next ball, which gave RCB the upper hand.
Had the ball not gone out of the ground, Dayal would have kept bowling with the wet ball and Dhoni could have fancied his chances to finish off the game. But the left-arm quick found better control with the new ball and could execute his skills much better.
RCB wickekeeper Dinesh Karthik also mentioned in his dressing room speech after the win that the new ball was much better to bowl with as compared to the earlier one. "The best thing to happen today was Dhoni hitting the six outside the stadium. We got a new ball, which was much better to bowl with," Karthik said.
Here is Karthik's dressing room speech:
Watch: MS Dhoni smashes 110m six out of Chinnaswamy stadium in the final over
The win completed a sensational turnaround for RCB, who go into the playoffs after winning six matches in a row. They will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad or Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to be played on May 22.
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