Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cruised to a 7-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash on Friday. While Ravindra Jadeja and Devon Conway were the top performers with the ball and the bat respectively, Dhoni silently completed a unique double-century behind the stumps. The 41-year-old Dhoni became the first wicket-keeper in the history of IPL to affect 200 dismissals. In the match against Hyderabad, Dhoni inflicted a run-out, a catch, and a stumping, adding to his tally to complete the unique 'double ton' in 233 IPL matches.
When it comes to the overall list, Dhoni is the outright leader at the No. 1 spot. Following him is Royal Challengers Bangalore's veteran wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik who has 187 dismissals to his name in 218 matches. Former RCB stumper AB de Villiers follows him at No. 3 spot with 140 dismissals. Robin Uthappa, Wriddhiman Saha, and Parthiv Patel come in next in the list.
At the end of the match, Dhoni admitted that he doesn't know how long a career he has left and just wants to give his all, in whatever little time is remaining for him as a cricketer.
"Whatever said and done, last phase of my career, important to enjoy it. It feels good to be here. They have given a lot of love and affection. They always stay late to listen to me," he said.
Shedding light on the performance of his bowlers, Dhoni said: "You need time to pick his action (Pathirana). We have seen with Malinga - someone who has an awkward action and who is very consistent with line and length - it's difficult to score off him. I was hesitant to bat second. Had the feeling there won't be much dew. Overall the middle overs was the setup. Fast bowlers bowled very well in the last few overs. I always tell them that first preference of field setting is with you. Still they didn't give me best catch. I felt it was a fantastic catch. Long time back I still remember one game - Rahul Dravid was keeping and he caught one like that. Definitely old, can't shy away from that."
With the win, CSK have strengthened their playoffs qualification chances. They are currently placed 3rd in the points table.