The El Clasico teams of the IPL locked horns on the 21st of April. Although the teams have not shown great form. The excitement for the MI vs CSK match was as high as ever. Mumbai Indians were desperate for their first win. However, MS Dhoni killed all their hopes as he finished the match by hitting a four off the final delivery. Mumbai Indians are at the bottom of the points table and have lost their first 7 matches, which is the highest for any franchise in the 15 years of IPL. MI scored 155 batting first. Had Kieron Pollard stayed at the crease longer MI could’ve put 10-15 runs more. But MS Dhoni had set a special field for Kieron Pollard’s dismissal.
Mumbai Indians had a good bowling start when Rututraj was dismissed on the very first ball. Wickets kept falling, and the game looked a little bit more on MI’s side. However, till the time MS Dhoni is on the crease a match is never one-sided. In addition, MS Dhoni was facing Jayadev Unadkat in the final over and he is known for having a remarkable strike rate against him. 16 runs were needed off 4 with MSD on strike. With a six, a four, a double, MSD needed a four off the last ball. The absolute thriller went in favor of CSK with the greatest finisher of the game smashing the ball hard, down the ground. However, MI will have another match against CSK to redeem themselves.
Watch: MS Dhoni plots Kieron Pollard’s dismissal
Pollard has stepped in in the 14th over of the game. Expectations were high because of the reputation Pollard has batting against CSK. Moreover, he walked in at the best time to put the finishing touches. Kieron Pollard was also smashing the ball well early on. However, when Theekshana was brought in to bowl, MS Dhoni was setting the field to trap Polly. And it actually paid dividends for CSK. A straight fielder was placed and the commentators knew what was cooking. Pollard gave a straightforward catch at the boundary to Dube. He walked back scoring 14 off 9. However, MI had put 155 onboard, with Pollard still batting it could’ve been more.
This move by Dhoni took fans back to the 2010 IPL final. Wherein, Dhoni had set a similar ploy, and Pollard had fallen victim to it. CSK defeated MI in the final and lifted their maiden trophy. Pollard has been a crucial batter for MI in such situations. However, MS Dhoni is well-versed with Pollard’s game. And the veteran makes the best use of it. Chennai Super Kings has now won 2 matches while MI’s quest for the 2 points is still on.
