Rajasthan Royals (RR) registered a nail-biting three-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 17 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday (April 12).
Chasing 176 to win, CSK needed 21 from the last over and Dhoni smashed two sixes in the first three balls of Sandeep Sharma, but was not able to hit a boundary or six in the final ball of the over when the hosts required 5 off the last delivery.
Amid the pressure situation, Sandeep held his nerves and bowled a couple of stunning yorkers to seal the deal for RR.
But coming to think of it, it should have been an easy win for the Royals as the Super Kings needed 41 off last two overs. However, RR skipper Sanju Samson never felt that the match was over since his CSK counterpart is known for finishing games from difficult situations.
As it turned out, Dhoni almost took CSK over the finishing line with a whirlwind knock of 32* in 17 balls, including 1 four and 3 sixes.
"Did you feel you had the game in your pocket in the last two overs?" Sanjay Manjrekar asked Samson in the post-match presentation.
In reply, the RR captain said: "No sir, never when you have that guy (MS Dhoni) in the middle. You have to respect that guy and know what he can do in the middle. Everyone was involved and the match is not over till the last ball. I do a lot of planning, research and sit down with the data team but a lot of calls have to be taken inside the ground looking at who is bowling well at what point. I only played two balls but I'm drained as if I have scored a hundred. A lot of thoughts are going around."
When Manjrekar further enquired if Rajasthan Royals had any data to combat Dhoni, Samson came up with a straightforward answer.
"What data do you have on that guy you have just mentioned?" Manjrekar asked.
"Nothing. Nothing works, no date, nothing," Samson replied.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has been fined INR 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during his team’s clash against CSK.
“As it was the team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, captain Sanju Samson was fined Rs 12 lakhs,” read an IPL media advisory.
It was Rajasthan Royals’ third win in four games and they will next face Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 16).
