RESULT
13th Match (N), Visakhapatnam, March 31, 2024, Indian Premier League
At approximately 11pm on Sunday night, Vizag came alive. ‘Hosts’ Delhi Capitals were on their way to their first win, but the result suddenly seemed irrelevant for a crowd in the vicinity of 30,000.
MS Dhoni strode out to the middle to bat for the first time since last year’s final and immediately sent the decibel levels soaring when he walloped his first ball for four through square leg, and bludgeoned his third through extra cover.
When he hit Khaleel Ahmed for an inside-out six in the next over, they threatened to blow the roof off. Chennai Super Kings still needed 46 off 12; one more than a side had ever made off the last two overs to win in the IPL.
Mukesh Kumar was tasked with bowling a clutch over. His figures until then read 2-0-16-3. An excellent over there would’ve helped close out the game. And he delivered by bowling a series of excellent yorker-length deliveries Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t get underneath.
The over went for 5, and Super Kings needed 41 off six.
That was no reason for the crowd to stop. Dhoni was on strike. They wanted him to roll the clock back. And he did, walloping Anrich Nortje for two fours and two sixes. Dhoni finished 37 not out off 16, Super Kings fell short by 20 runs, but you couldn’t quite say if the fans in yellow were disappointed at the result.
Dhoni had that effect. But after he scythed a high full toss for six to finish the game, there was finally a realization that the Capitals had won.