Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni returned to the field after more than ten months in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The match took place on Friday (March 31) between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
The 41-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who retired from international cricket in August 2020, currently only plays in the IPL, where he captains the Chennai-based franchise. After representing the team in the 2022 IPL season, Dhoni returned to the field against GT and displayed his classic form by hitting a six against left-arm pacer Joshua Little in the last over of CSK’s innings.
During his short stay in the middle, Dhoni faced seven balls and scored 14 not out with the help of a four and a six.
By hitting a massive six on the third ball of the final over of the first innings, Dhoni completed his double century of sixes for CSK in the IPL. In doing so, he became the first player to hit 200 sixes for CSK in the IPL and the fifth player in the tournament’s history to achieve this feat.
Here’s the video:
😂Kar diya bhai! Check out Thala's 200th six for #CSK 💥#IPLonJioCinema #CSKvGT #TATAIPL https://t.co/eMKI8D3FXG pic.twitter.com/BeuUyBEBlf
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 31, 2023
As usual har baar ki tarah recording kr rhe the. To socha thala ki bhi post krdete hai
Ms dhoni 14(7)* vs GT today all balls covered along with a mammoth six💛🔥https://t.co/ZgW669y3O7
— Ananay Sethi (@Ananaysethi3) March 31, 2023
In terms of the number of sixes scored for a single team in the IPL, Chris Gayle of West Indies tops the list with 239 sixes for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), followed by AB de Villiers, who smashed 238 maximums for RCB. Kieron Pollard, the former Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder, is third, with 223 sixes for the five-time champions. Ex-RCB skipper and India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli is in fourth place with 218 sixes for RCB.