Dhoni and Dube came up together for a match-winning 57-run partnership.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were looking down the barrel of a sixth loss in a row when MS Dhoni came to join Shivam Dube with five overs to go and needing 56 to win. Dhoni won the knockout battle against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seamers with an unbeaten 11-ball 26 while Dube, who batted superbly himself, made 43 not out from 27 balls and guided CSK to their second win in seven attempts in IPL 2025.
LSG captain Rishabh Pant said immediately after the game that LSG were “10-15 runs short” after batting first. Even with Pant’s own 49-ball 63, his first half-century in LSG colours, they only managed 166 for 7 in 20 overs, their lowest total of the season. They were curtailed by Ravindra Jadeja’s two wickets and kept in check by Noor Ahmad’s economical 4 overs, which went for only 13 runs.
CSK made a strong opening partnership by Shaik Rasheed and Rachin Ravindra for a stand of 52 runs. While young Rasheed scored 27 off 19 balls, Rachin Ravindra pulled off 37 in 22 balls before he was dismissed by Markram.
However, LSG’s spinners dragged the game back. Between Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, and part-time offspinner Aiden Markram – a combined figure of 11-0-66-4 saw LSG fight hard! Unfortunately, a 19-run over from Shardul Thakur in the 19th ended any hope of LSG dragging back the spoils.
LSG Made Their Lowest Total of the Season- 166/7
Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opened the game for LSG, with Markram caught out for 6 runs off 6 balls by Rahul Triathi, thus lowering LSG’s morale. Nicholas Pooran was dismissed by Kamboj when the team’s total was 23/2. Marsh, who played 25 balls, produced 30 runs for his side before he was bowled out by Jadeja.
Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad were taken down by Dhoni for 22 and 20 runs respectively. However, skipper Rishabh Pant stretched the game with his 63 off 49, which includes 4 boundaries and 4 sixes each. Dhoni caught off Pant at a slightly slower and fuller bowl, dismissing him at 158/6.
David Miller entered the ground but unfortunately couldn’t play a ball. Shardul Thakur could produce 6 runs before he was dismissed, leaving the team’s total to 166 for 20 overs and 7 wickets down.
Dhoni, Dube Pull Down the pacers
When Dhoni came out after 15 overs, Dube had only made 17 off his first 20 balls. Dube had not been able to dominate the spinners, as he typically does, and the dismissals of Vijay Shankar and Jadeja only added to the pressure.
But Dhoni loves pace – he had a strike rate of 222 against quicks since IPL 2024, and LSG provided this game. With one over of Bishnoi left, LSG turned to Avesh Khan and Thakur, and their wide-yorker strategy proved to be predictable.
Dhoni edged a couple of fours down to deep third but showed an instrument of violence in punching a boundary through covers, flicking a full toss over midwicket, and dragging a one-handed six over deep square-leg.
Dhoni, 43, also ran his ones and twos, sometimes with fright, with Dube, and took the pressure off his partner. When Thakur bowled two full tosses at the start of the 19th over, Dube worked him for four and six, the second in fact a no-ball.
Dhoni picked up his first IPL Player-of-the-Match award since 2019, and Dube, just after hitting the winning runs, said that he was happy to take the game deep. Their partnership of 57 came off just 28 balls.
Rasheed Impresses with IPL debut
Shaik Rasheed, a former Under-19 World Cup-winning vice-captain and a double-century in first-class cricket, was closely watched by CSK since IPL 2023. In his IPL debut, 20-year-old Rasheed took strike and scored three fours off Akash Deep, a flick described as “Virat Kohli-like”. His 19-ball 27 with six fours helped CSK reach fifty in 4.2 overs, but a collapse against spin followed.
Pant fights his way to 63 off 49
LSG skipper Pant struggled with a strike rate of 80 and a high score of 21, leading to a walkout in the fourth over. He started on a positive note, but his strike rate dropped to 103 when CSK’s spinners applied pressure.
The 27-year-old Pant played ten dots in 15 balls against Noor, scoring only six runs. His strike rate of 40 against the Purple Cap holder was the second worst for any batter against a bowler in the IPL. Pant found his touch against Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel, but couldn’t stay until the end, allowing LSG to make only 166 runs.
Scorecard LSG vs CSK, 30th Match IPL 2025, Lucknow, Apr 14 2025
Lucknow Super Giants 166/7
Rishabh Pant 63 (49)
Mitchell Marsh 30 (25)
Ayush Badoni 22 (17)
Ravi Bishnoi 2/18
Digvesh Rathi 1/23
Aiden Markram 1/25
Chennai Super Kings 168/5
Shivam Dube 43 (37)
Rachin Ravindra 37 (22)
Shaik Rasheed 27 (19)
MS Dhoni 26 (11)
Ravindra Jadeja 2/24
Matheesha Pathirana 2/45
Anshul Kamboj 1/20
