IPL 2018: Sakshi Dhoni jubilated after CSK's seventh IPL final

CSK beat the Sunrisers at the Wankhede Stadium in the first Qualifier.

Published - 23 May 2018, 15:03 IST | Updated - 23 May 2018, 15:03 IST

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The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) didn’t have an auspicious time prior to the 2018 Indian Premier League as they served a two-year suspension period. They didn’t play the 2016 and 2017 edition of the prestigious tournament and were required to re-stamp their authority. They have done that in grand style thus far as they recently qualified for their seventh Final of the T20 tournament.

The side captained by MS Dhoni, crossed swords with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and emerged triumphant by a slender margin of two wickets. Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first on a strip which was speculated to slow down as the match progresses. Their bowlers caught hold of the Sunrisers batsmen and churned out wickets in quick succession.

However, Carlos Braithwaite played a breezy knock, which lifted SRH to a competitive score of 139 runs. The Windies all-rounder smacked 20 runs off Shardul Thakur’s last over to propel Sunrisers’ score. The run chase wasn’t supposed to be an uphill task especially for a batting powerhouse like that of the Super Kings. Nevertheless, they were pushed back by some early wickets.

Seventh time in nine attempts

The likes of Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul nipped out some massive scalps and pushed CSK back on to the back-foot. Meanwhile, Faf du Plessis, who opened the batting, didn’t seem flustered by the flurry of wickets at the other end and scored a gutsy half-century. The South African batsmen played until the very end and saw his team through to victory.

Thakur made amends for a horrendous bowling spell. The 26-year old player scorched a few boundaries in the dying phases of the contest and turned out to be a perfect foil for de Plessis. Following the win, the CSK fans were ecstatic and they chanted the name of their team and the skipper in unison. Sakshi Dhoni, the better-half of the wicket-keeper batsman, also looked happy for her beau and the team.