MS Dhoni once again showcased his brilliance behind the stumps with a stunning stumping to dismiss Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt during Chennai Super Kings’ IPL clash on Friday. Salt, who had raced to 32 off 16 balls, was caught off guard by a sharp-turning delivery from Noor Ahmad. As he advanced down the track, the ball spun past him, leaving him stranded. Dhoni reacted instantly, whipping off the bails in a flash to send Salt back to the pavilion. Before his dismissal, Salt had given RCB a strong start, hitting five boundaries and a six. However, his aggressive knock was cut short by Dhoni’s swift glovework and Noor Ahmad’s smart bowling. The breakthrough slowed RCB’s momentum in the powerplay.
Toss and Team Updates
Gaikwad won the toss and chose to bowl first. CSK made one change, bringing in Matheesha Pathirana in place of Nathan Ellis. RCB replaced Rasikh Dar Salam with Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Both teams have started their campaign with a win and will aim to build on their positive momentum. The match is a repeat of last season’s dramatic encounter, where RCB secured a playoff spot at CSK’s expense.
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Substitutes
CSK: Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed
RCB: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Manoj Bhandage