How does MS Dhoni fare against spinners in the IPL?
MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 50 to help CSK post a total of 131/5 against KKR in the IPL 2022 opener. However, his vulnerability against spin was once again on display. Spinners play a crucial role in the middle overs (7-15), where Dhoni's strike rate has been alarming of late. Here, we decode his performance against spinners in the IPL.
Dhoni's numbers against spinners
Dhoni's overall strike rate against spinners in the IPL is 110.64 (107.55 against leg-spinners and 110.64 against off-spinners). He has been dismissed 35 times by the spinners in the tournament so far. Since the start of 2016 edition, Dhoni has managed to score 619 runs at a strike rate of 101.64 against spinners, while they have dismissed him 17 times.
How he has struggled against spin in recent times
Dhoni has been under the scanner while playing spin (IPL). Owing to his unorthodox batting technique, Dhoni hasn't been able to find gaps and rotate the strike consistently. Since 2018, he has scored 410 runs against spinners, while they have dismissed him 11 times. Every time he walked to bat, the opposition switched to spinners as he struggled to get going against them.
Dhoni was vulnerable against Narine and Chakravarthy
KKR bowlers Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy exploited Dhoni's weakness against spin considerably. He managed to score just five runs against the duo at a strike of 37.5 off the 12 balls he faced. He was batting on 15 off 25 until some late fireworks helped him score 35 runs off the last 13 balls in the first innings.
Dhoni will face Ravi Bishnoi in the next game
CSK will lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday. MSD will have to face a daunting challenge from youngster Ravi Bishnoi. The young wrist-spinner has managed to keep Dhoni's run-rate in check, allowing him to score just 10 runs off nine deliveries. Bishnoi has dismissed Dhoni once, while the latter hasn't been able to hit the spinner for a six yet.
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