IPL 2024: Dinesh Karthik reveals how MS Dhoni's 110m six backfired for CSK and helped RCB seal playoffs spot

MS Dhoni smashed a 110m six off Yash Dayal’s first ball of the final over.

It was a night to remember for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they secured one of the greatest wins over the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs.

After being asked to bat first, Bengaluru posted a challenging total of 218/5 in 20 overs in the must-win encounter against CSK at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 18. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis (54) and Virat Kohli (47) were top scorers for the side.

While chasing, Chennai had a poor start as they lost two quick wickets of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell. However, Ajinkya Rahane (33) and Rachin Ravindra (66) stitched an important partnership of 66 as they stabilized CSK’s innings.

The target was way off of CSK’s reach, but a playoffs spot was still in reach for the visitors, who needed to score at least 201 while chasing. It came down to the wire as CSK needed only 17 runs off the last over to cross 201 and qualify for the playoffs with a better NRR than that of RCB.

However, the wet ball was posing a challenge for Dayal to defend 17 runs in the final over of the game. His first delivery ended up as a juicy full toss as Dhoni hammered a monstrous 110-meter six, which went out of the stadium. The ball was replaced by a dry one.

On the very next delivery, Dayal bowled a slower ball, which caught Dhoni off guard as he mistimed his shot and ultimately gave his wicket. Dhoni’s wicket changed the fortunes for the hosts as they managed to restrict Chennai to just 191/7 in 20 overs and then won the match by 27 runs. With this, Bengaluru went past Chennai’s NRR and qualified for the playoffs.

Dinesh Karthik explains why MS Dhoni six helps RCB reach the playoffs

Following the match, Bengaluru wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik revealed that Dhoni’s 110-meter six was one of the reasons which helped them clinch the playoff spot as the wet ball was returned with a much better bowl.

“The best thing to happen today was Dhoni hitting that six outside the ground, and we got a new ball, which was much better to bowl with,” Karthik said.

“Yash, that was good bowling. When in doubt, always bowl a hip-high full toss on leg stump. Wherever he is, it’s a good mantra to follow when the ball is wet,” Karthik joked.

Here is the video:

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