Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finally brought back its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign on track with a solid five wicket win Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Bharat Ratna in 30 matches at Shri Atal Bihari Vajpey Cricket Stadium.
Chasing a difficult target of 167 on a dull surface, CSK combined with early discipline with balls, a stable middle phase, and MS Dhoni and Shivam Dubey to win their second win of the season and snap the five-game losing streak.
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After the game, Dhoni was seen sharing a light-hearted chat with LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka-a re-reunion, as Goenka now had now-deformed Rising Rising Rising Pune Super veteran franchise, where Dhoni played for two sessions.
Earlier, CSK bowlers placed groundwork with a composition and clinical performance. Khalil Ahmed hit the over long ago, rejecting Aiden Markram for a fast running grip from Rahul Tripathi. Anashul Kamboj, with confidence, then a clever change for dangerous Nicolas Garin, a smile behind the stumps was assisted by a successful DRS review from Dhoni.
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LSG captain Rishabh Pant scored 63 runs in 49 balls scoring 63 runs. Following the initial failures, Pants shared a significant partnership with Mitchell Marsh (25 runs 25) and Ayush Badoni (22 runs 17). But CSK’s spin trio stopped the flow in the final stretch.
Ravindra Jadeja was extraordinary through the middle overs, removing Marsh and later dismissing Badoni through a sharp stumping – marking Dhoni’s 200th fielding dismissal in the IPL. Noor Ahmed implemented the squeeze, scored just six runs in 15 balls, which he bowled on pants. At the time of death, Mathesh Pathirana kept the things tight, limited LSG to 166/7 – offering a surface and equal to the bend.
CSK’s Chase saw a surprise at the top, Sheikh Rashid made his IPL debut in place of Devon Conway. Opening with Rachin Rabindra, Rashid left an immediate impression with a fluent 27 on 19 runs, including a good flicker and a powerful bridge. Rachin also appeared in fine touch, scoring 22 runs, as both ran at 50 in only 4.2 overs.
However, the LSG spinned back through the spin. Ravi Bishnoi and Aiden Marcram removed Rachin and Tripathi in quick succession. Jadeja soon collapsed, and Vijay Shankar tried to uplift the Tempo, leaving CSK at 111/5 in 15 overs- 56 required from the last 30 balls.
Promoted in front of Jamie Overton, Dhoni initially took his time before opening. A couple of borders in the 16th over, a vintage in the 17th after one-hand six, the crowd and CSK Dugout brought to life.
At the other end, Dube soaked the pressure before spreading in the 19th over. He hit Shardul Thakur for a limit, sixes from a full toss, and took advantage of a no-ball to gather 19 runs-the gaming placed 4 runs to 4 runs.
Dhoni remained unbeaten at the crease as CSK ended the target with one over. Dube did not stay at 43 out of 37, while Dhoni had 26 delivery in just 11 out of 26 delivery.
Get the latest IPL 2025 update on Times of India, including match schedule, team squad, point table and IPL Live Score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBK and RR. Do not remember the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
