IMAGES from the IPL 2025 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday
Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided the flourish at the end as Chennai Super Kings outclassed Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets to break their run of losses in the IPL 2025 match in Lucknow on Monday.
The iconic Dhoni played a nice little cameo alongside Shivam Dube to guide CSK to a much-needed victory as the five-time champions bounced back after a horror start.
Captain Dhoni played the finisher's role to perfection, slamming 26 not out off 11 balls, hitting four fours and a six, while Dube stroked an unbeaten 43 not out off 37 balls, with three fours and two sixes.
The duo shared a match-winning stand of 57 runs for the sixth wicket to chase down a target of 167 with three balls to spare.
This was after LSG skipper Rishabh Pant returned to form with a half-century to guide his side to 166 for seven.
Pant (63 off 49 balls) struggled initially but grew in confidence as the innings progressed and together with Abdul Samad (20) shared 53 runs for the fifth wicket off 33 balls.
Shaik Rasheed (27 off 19) and Rachin Ravindra (37 off 22) got CSK's chase off to a flier with a brilliant 29-ball 52-run opening stand.
While Ravindra showed his class on the off side, Rasheed was elegant on the leg side, finding the fence at will to bring up CSK's fifty in the fifth over.
Debutant Rasheed's entertaining knock came to an end when he skied a Avesh Khan short ball while trying to hoick it on the leg side.
Aiden Markram then had Ravindra trapped in front of the wicket while Rahul Tripathi failed to cash in on a reprieve as he edged a Ravi Bishnoi delivery back to the leg-spinner.
Bishnoi bowled superbly, and his efforts yielded result as he dismissed Ravindra Jadeja with a flighted delivery, and Markram took a fine catch at long on.
With CSK needing 56 off 30, in came Dhoni and he smashed Avesh through the off side for a four, and deliberately nicked the next ball past the keeper to the third man fence to bring down the equation to 44 of 24 balls.
It was vintage Dhoni on display as he swung his bat to hit a one-handed six off Shardul Thakur and then got a boundary off Avesh.
Both Dhoni and Dube used the pace of LSG bowlers to perfection to take CSK home and give their fans some relief.
Earlier, coming off five successive losses, CSK made a dream start after electing to bowl.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (1/38) struck the first blow in the opening over when he dismissed Markram with Rahul Tripathi taking a brilliant diving catch after sprinting backwards.
Two overs later, Anshul Kamboj removed the dangerous Nicholas Pooran leg before wicket.
Mitchell Marsh, returning to the side after sitting out of the last match due to personal reasons, took the attack to the opposition and smashed Khaleel for a four and six in consecutive balls.
Pant, who has struggled in the tournament so far, came out with intent and looked to get back to form with some unorthodox but confident hitting, which included a reverse scoop six off a length delivery from Jamie Overton.
Veteran Ravindra Jadeja (2/34) went for 10 runs in his first over but came back strongly in his next over to disturb the timbers of Marsh.
Young Ayush Badoni (22 off 17) meant business and played his shots from the onset. He hit Overton for two huge consecutive sixes -- one over cover and the next over fine leg to take LSG to 95 for three after 12 overs.
Pant welcomed Matheesha Pathrina (2/45) with an exquisite cover drive to the boundary.
After surviving two chances -- first when he was caught off a no ball and then a close LBW call off Jadeja in the 14th over -- Badoni got out when the left-arm spinner foxed him completely and Dhoni did the rest behind the stumps.
Pant struggled against CSK spinners, especially Noor Ahmad, who returned brilliant figures of 4-0-13-0.
But with pace back into the attack in the form of Pathirana in the 18th over, Pant took his chances as he smashed the Sri Lankan for two sixes -- the second one a one-handed pull over square-leg to bring up his fifty.
Pant and Samad were going great guns before Dhoni's brilliance ensured the dismissals of both the set batters.
Dhoni first hit the non-striker's end with a direct throw to dismiss Samad and then in the next ball took a fine high catch to end Pant's stay in the middle.
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