#ThisDayThatYear: Dhoni becomes the first captain with 100 IPL wins
India's cash-rich league has seen many captains making an impact, but MS Dhoni's charismatic leadership is still unmatched. Rightly so, the Chennai Super Kings skipper is the most successful captain in the history of Indian Premier League. On April 11, Dhoni became the first captain to register 100 IPL wins after CSK beat Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Here is how the match panned out.
Late flourish by tail-enders helped RR
Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane got Rajasthan off to a flier after CSK put them into bat. The CSK spinners didn't let the Rajasthan middle order settle throughout the innings. Steve Smith and Ben Stokes brought RR back before Ravindra Jadeja dismissed the former. The last three batsman scored 48, having propelled Rajasthan to 151 at the end of 20 overs.
Dhoni and Rayudu got CSK in the driving seat
In what looked a nominal chase, CSK were reduced to 24/4 in the powerplay overs. MS Dhoni (58) and Ambati Rayudu (57) shared a 95-run stand to turn the tables for Chennai. Following Rayudu's dismissal, CSK required 30 off two overs. Although Dhoni was struggling with his back niggle, he was braced to get Chennai home. What followed in the final over was spell-binding.
Santner sealed the match with a blistering six
Jofra Archer kept Dhoni on the back foot in the penultimate over, but conceded a four on the final delivery. With 18 need from six balls, Jadeja smashed Stokes for an eccentric six straight down the ground. Meanwhile, a brilliant yorker by Stokes removed Dhoni. The new batsman Mitchell Santner kept his cool and finished the game with a last-ball six.
The esoteric six by Jadeja off Stokes
When Dhoni lost his cool in the final over
The high-voltage clash witnessed even 'captain cool' lose his cool. Right after Dhoni was dismissed, the first ball that Santner faced was called a no-ball (for height). However, the square leg umpire revoked the decision, thereby emanating a moment of disruption. Dhoni walked onto the ground and argued with the umpires for not standing by the original decision. The delivery was later deemed legal.
Dhoni became the most successful IPL captain
With 104 wins and 69 defeats, MS Dhoni is the most successful IPL captain in terms of wins. His win percentage of 60.11 in 174 matches is also the highest. Gautam Gambhir is second in the list with 71 wins in 129 games.
