LUCKNOW: Former India captain M.S. Dhoni rolled back the years with an unbeaten 26 as Chennai Super Kings bounced back from five losses to down Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in the IPL on Monday.
Chasing a tricky 167, Chennai rode on an unbeaten stand of 57 between Shivam Dube, who hit 43, and Dhoni to achieve their target with three balls to spare at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.
The 43-year-old Dhoni, who took over as captain from the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad in their previous defeat, strode in at number seven and smashed four fours and a six in his 11-ball knock to silence suggestions that he had lost his touch as a master finisher.
The left-handed Dube, who came in as an impact substitute for the five-time champions, got the winning boundary in his 37-ball knock.
The result snapped Chennai’s streak of losses but they still remain bottom of the 10-team table with two wins in seven matches.
They started strongly with openers Shaik Rasheed and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, who hit 37, putting together a 52-run partnership inside five overs.
Pace bowler Avesh Khan struck first to cut short Rasheed’s knock on 27 and Lucknow’s ploy to bring in part-time spinner Aiden Markram worked when the South African dismissed the left-handed Ravindra.
Impact substitute Ravi Bishnoi struck with two key blows as he caught and bowled Rahul Tripathi for nine and then had Ravindra Jadeja taken at long-on for seven to dent Chennai’s chase.
But Dube took charge and took Chennai over the line alongside Dhoni who walked in to loud cheers from the Lucknow crowd largely supporting Chennai.
Lucknow suffered their third loss in seven matches but can take consolation from skipper Rishabh Pant’s back-to-form 63 in their 166-7 after being invited to bat first.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who had scores of 0, 15, 2, 2, 21 in his previous five innings, started cautiously with Lucknow on 23-2.
The swashbuckling left-hander played six dot balls to Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad in the middle of his knock but finished with four fours and fours sixes in his 49-ball stay.
Pant’s innings involved key stands, adding 50 with Mitchell Marsh, who hit 30 on his return after he missed the previous match, and 53 with Abdul Samad, who made 20.
Pant finally fell to Sri Lanka pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who took two wickets in the 20th over.
Jadeja stood out with figures of 2-24 in his three overs of left-arm spin.
Dhoni snaps Chennai’s five-match IPL losing streak
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Dhoni snaps Chennai’s five-match IPL losing streak
- Chasing a tricky 167, Chennai rode on an unbeaten stand of 57 between Shivam Dube, who hit 43, and Dhoni to achieve their target
- Result snapped Chennai’s streak of losses but they still remain bottom of the 10-team table with two wins in seven matches
Dubai Basketball beat defending EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce for second time this season
- A 92-81 victory was Dubai’s 13th home win of the season across two leagues
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball produced another historic night at Coca-Cola Arena, defeating Turkish giants and reigning EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce 92-81 to secure their second victory over the title holders in their debut EuroLeague campaign.
Roared on by a sold-out crowd in Dubai, Jurica Golemac’s side brought their trademark home court control to a high-intensity contest and closed out a decisive result in EuroLeague Round 21. The victory halted Fenerbahce’s four-game winning streak and underlined Dubai Basketball’s growing presence in the league.
From the opening tip, the hosts imposed themselves at both ends of the floor, executing with purpose and closing out a statement win in front of their fans. Bosnian canter Kenan Kamenjas led the charge with a dominant double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds while McKinley Wright topped the scoring charts with 22 points — both players making their mark for their debut season with the Dubai side.
Dubai Basketball Head Coach Jurica Golemac praised his players’ response and mentality following the final buzzer.
“Congratulations to the players,” he said. “We answered the challenge in the best possible way,” Golemac said. “After the last two games, we knew we had to show much more desire and energy, and that’s exactly what this group delivered.”
The atmosphere inside Coca-Cola Arena matched the magnitude of the occasion, and Golemac reserved special praise for Dubai’s very own saying: “Fenerbahce brought their fans, but I’m very proud of ours,” he said. “They competed in the stands the same way we competed on the court. Congratulations to them and to the players.”
This is Dubai’s 13th home win of the season across two leagues — cementing Coca-Cola Arena as one of the toughest home courts to compete in across two of the best European leagues. The city next welcomes Serbia’s Borac Mozzart for an ABA League Monday night match-up on Jan. 12.
