MS Dhoni is regarded by many as one of the best finishers in the history of cricket. He has done it many times for his team in the Indian Premier League as well. Be it Chennai Super Kings or Rising Pune Supergiant, Dhoni has played many memorable knocks for his franchise, especially while batting in the slog overs.
The first six overs of the 20-over innings are the powerplay overs, where the fielding team is only allowed to keep two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. Generally, Dhoni comes out to bat at number five or below, and it is rare to see him in the middle during the powerplay overs. A rarer thing is to see him lose his wicket in the powerplay overs, and only two bowlers have managed to do so in his IPL career.
1. Dirk Nannes – 1st bowler to dismiss MS Dhoni in powerplay in IPL
Australian left-arm fast bowler Dirk Nannes was the first player to accomplish the feat, and he did it during the 2010 edition of the Indian Premier League in a match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals.
Playing for the Delhi-based franchise, Nannes dismissed Dhoni for a duck. Nannes opened the bowling for the visitors after Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Ashish Nehra dismissed opening batsman Matthew Hayden early, and surprisingly, MS Dhoni decided to come out at number three. Unfortunately, Dhoni handed a catch to Mithun Manhas on the second ball that he played in his innings.
2. Adam Milne
It took 11 years for another name to be added on this list. New Zealand’s Adam Milne became the only second bowler in the Indian Premier League to pick up the wicket of MS Dhoni in the powerplay overs. It happened during a match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
Milne dismissed Dhoni on the final ball of the sixth over. Dhoni tried to take the aerial route but the ball went straight into the hands of Trent Boult. He had come out to bat after CSK were down to 7/3 in three overs.
