MS Dhoni rewinds the clock, Chennai Super Kings break losing streak

Dubai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, back in charge of Chennai Super Kings, showed once again why he’s the man for a crisis — marshalling a broken team, finishing the job himself, and reminding everyone that age is just a number.

He might not have the same burst of speed that once helped him pinch singles off good deliveries, but at 43, the Indian legend proved he could still win a match for Chennai Super Kings on one leg. Dhoni, who took over the captaincy after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of Season 18, engineered a much-needed turnaround with an unbeaten 26 in a five-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday.

A sharp stumping and a clever run-out earned him the IPL Player of the Match award — for the first time in five years — and more importantly, gave Chennai their first win after five straight losses.

“Good to win a game,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “Unfortunately the earlier games haven’t gone our way, and a win gives a lot of confidence to the team. It was a tough game — glad to be on the winning side and hopefully this gives us momentum.”

Dhoni found support in two young guns: opener Shaik Rasheed and all-rounder Anshul Kamboj. Rasheed, who has been with the squad for a few years, was handed a promotion in the order and responded with a fluent 27 — the team’s best start this season. Kamboj, playing only his second match, bowled with impressive discipline in the Powerplay and returned figures of 1 for 20 in his three overs.

“We made changes to have more bowlers up front — this looks like a better attack,” Dhoni explained. “We’ve done well as a bowling unit, but we can do better as a batting unit. Rasheed batted really well today, he’s been improving and this year he’s looked good in the nets. We needed a change in the batting order and he stepped up. It’s just the start, though he has the ability to dominate with authentic shots.”

Chasing 167, Chennai got off to a flying start with a 52-run opening partnership inside five overs between Rasheed and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, who made 37. After a mid-innings wobble, Shivam Dube (43*) and Dhoni (26*) stitched an unbeaten 57-run stand to take CSK home with three balls to spare at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.

Lucknow, now with three losses in seven matches, had earlier posted 166 for 7 after being put in to bat. Skipper Rishabh Pant returned to form with a 63-run knock, but Chennai’s bowlers, led by Ravindra Jadeja’s 2 for 24, kept the total in check.

Despite the win, Chennai remain at the bottom of the table. But with the five-time champions finally halting their slide — and with Dhoni back at the helm — Yellove fans have reason to believe again.

One of Dhoni’s long-time teammates and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly certainly isn’t counting him out. In a recent conversation on the YouTube channel YourFoodLab with Chef Sanjyot Keer, Ganguly named Chennai among his title contenders for the season.

“It is difficult to say who will win because anyone can win in T20, but there are good teams,” Ganguly said. “Sunrisers (Hyderabad), Delhi Capitals — we can never write off MS Dhoni, no matter how old he is. Chennai Super Kings, Bombay (Mumbai Indians)... Gujarat always surprises. In the first two years they won with a weak team. Shubman Gill is in form, though Hardik Pandya made a lot of difference for them. He’s not there, so I find these four teams very strong.”

Chennai now face traditional rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday — a match that could either reignite their season or snuff out their momentum just as it’s building. Either way, with Dhoni back at the helm, the spotlight will follow.