MS Dhoni visits the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 5, for the first time in over a decade. In the 2012 Indian Premier League match that Dhoni played on this pitch, the Kings XI Punjab (now known as the Punjab Kings) defeated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets.
Two years earlier, in one of the most dramatic IPL endings ever, Dhoni guided CSK to victory over Kings XI Punjab and a semifinal berth in the 2010 Indian Premier League. With 16 needed from the last over, Dhoni struck Irfan Pathan for two sixes and a four to win the match for his side.
Even though MS Dhoni is typically quite calm and composed, he took off his helmet and rejoiced passionately after the run-chase. This was a rare emotional outburst from the CSK skipper at the time.
Here is a look at the starting lineup of the five-time IPL champions from the Dharamsala encounter as CSK prepares to play Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium.
The openers are Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay.
Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden, a right-left combination, opened the CSK batting order. Both openers were dismissed for quite little. Ramesh Powar dismissed Hayden for five and sent Vijay (13), back.
Both Hayden and Vijay have quit playing cricket altogether. Vijay is now hired as a Tamil commentator for the current IPL, while Hayden is a member of the English commentary crew.
The middle order consists of MS Dhoni (c and wk), Albie Morkel, Justin Kemp, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, and Justin Kemp.
In the middle order were Suresh Raina and the unappreciated S Badrinath, who had won the match for CSK. They had a 62-run third-wicket stand when they brought MS Dhoni onto the field. Raina departed the game after hitting 46 off 27 balls, but Badrinath managed 53 off 36 deliveries.
Dhoni was still unbeaten after scoring 54 runs off 29 balls with five fours and two sixes. Albie Morkel, who hit an eight-ball fourteen, provided assistance. Justin Kemp was unable to play as CSK overcame the 193-run threshold with six wickets left.
The players in this middle-order have all withdrawn from consideration for the Indian cricket team. As T20 league players and commentators, Raina and Badrinath are, Dhoni is still the IPL wicketkeeper for the Chennai Super Kings. Following his retirement, Morkel focused on becoming a teacher.
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati, and Sudeep Tyagi
CSK’s spin attack was led by Ravichandran Ashwin and Shadab Jakati. Left-arm spinner Jakati responded with statistics of 0/14 in only one over after bowling four overs with economical figures of 1/20.
Doug Bollinger and Sudeep Tyagi shared the new ball in that match. Both of the expensive pacers left the HPCA Stadium empty-handed.
Ashwin continues to participate in all cricket formats. He is presently a member of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Tyagi and Jakati continue to compete in various competitions despite their absence from the IPL. Bollinger played in his last BBL 2017–18 match with the Sydney Sixers as a professional.
