"He knows he is not going to bat for longer time periods....": CSK coach Fleming on MS Dhoni's training

MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja's blistering knocks followed by Matheesha Pathirana's three-wicket haul helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinch a 27-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

In the match, Dhoni was seen struggling and hobbling while running between the wickets.

"He has (Dhoni) just training a certain way. He knows he is not going to bat for a long time, and we had a lot of batting ahead. So, he has really concentrated on the last three overs. [He] was not as mobile between the wickets today, but he pushed pretty hard," said Fleming in a post-match press conference.

"So, he has concentrated on pretty strong hitting practice, and you can see the benefits of that. He is just comfortable being able to play around the ground. We know how good a hitter of the ball he is, and his access in certain areas is still very strong. So that cameo again at the end was valuable in a hard-fought 20 overs," added Fleming.

In IPL 2023, Dhoni has batted down the order. He has scored 96 runs in eight innings at an average of 48.00. He has been dismissed only twice this IPL. He has the best score of 32* this year. He has smashed three fours and 10 sixes this year. His strike rate of 204.25.

After posting a respectable 167/8 in 20 overs, Fleming said that players are playing with high risks and he is happy with the cameos which push his side to an above-par score.

"It is a reflection of the way games now are played, the players play with more high risks and the way you compose an innings is a little bit different, so I'm happy with the cameos if it keeps pushing you above par," said Fleming.

"What you have seen today, maybe a 160 wicket was turned into almost a possible 175-10 because we had positive intent through partnerships and guys playing aggressively. Dube is a good example of that, Rayudu and then MS in the end. We created enough to get ahead of the game, which we are happy with, even though we lost seven wickets," added the coach.

Opting to bat first, CSK posted a respectable total of 167/8 in their 20 overs. No batter could touch the 30-run mark. From the top order, Ruturaj Gaikwad (24) and Ajinkya Rahane (21) scored some useful runs. Contributions in the middle order came from Shivam Dube (25), Ambati Rayadu (23), Ravindra Jadeja (21) and MS Dhoni (20).

Mitchell Marsh was the pick of the bowlers for DC, taking 3/18 in his three overs. Axar Patel got 2/27 in his four overs. Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed got one wicket each.

In the chase of 168, DC's top order imploded once again and was reduced to 25/3. Then a 59-run stand between Rilee Rossouw (35) and Manish Pandey (27) brought back DC into the game. Axar Patel played a useful cameo of 21 runs but it was not enough to keep up with the escalating run rate. DC lost the match by 27 runs.

Matheesha Pathirana (3/37) was the pick of the bowlers for CSK. Deepak Chahar also took 2/28 in his three overs. Ravindra Jadeja also took a wicket.

Jadeja won the 'Player of the Match' award for his all-round performance.

With this win, CSK is in the second position with seven wins, four losses and a total of 15 points. One of their matches ended in no result as well. DC is still at the bottom of the table, with four wins and seven losses. They have only eight points to their name.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 167/8 (Shivam Dube 25, MS Dhoni 20; Mitchell Marsh 3-18) vs Delhi Capitals 140/8 (Rilee Rossouw 35, Manish Pandey 27; Matheesha Pathirana 3-37). (ANI)