Dhoni smashed 18* in 6 balls to seal the win for CSK in Qualifier 1.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered their ninth IPL final after defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by four wickets with two balls remaining in the final over of the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021 in Dubai.
Needing 173 to win, CSK reached the target with Ruturaj Gaikwad (70) and Robin Uthappa (63) playing excellent knocks before captain MS Dhoni with 18* in six balls finished off the game.
Dhoni, who had scored just 96 runs in the season before tonight, promoted himself above Ravindra Jadeja and took upon the responsibility despite his indifferent batting form. He smashed a six off Avesh Khan and three boundaries off Tom Curran to take CSK into the IPL final for the ninth time, all under his captaincy.
WATCH - MS Dhoni throws a ball towards kids who cried after CSK won Qualifier 1
His wife Sakshi was visibly emotional in the stands as she held onto their six-year-old daughter Ziva, who was happy to see her father play so well in a big game under pressure.
Watch the boundaries scored by Dhoni and the visuals of his emotional wife Sakshi here:
Dhoni and CSK will now have time to rest and get ready for the final on Friday, October 15. Their opponent will be one of Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore or Kolkata Knight Riders.