Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned back the clock and brought the crowd to their feet during their IPL game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday.
In his 250th match for the Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni smashed a hat-trick of massive sixes, a four-ball 20 that proved to be the difference in the end as CSK beat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs despite Rohit Sharma's century.
Dhoni came in during the final over, with his team at 186/4 after Daryl Mitchell's wicket.
MI Captain Hardik Pandya came in for a battering as CSK's beloved Thala delivered a perfect finish, with a hat-trick of sixes, one over long on, the other over long off and the third over square leg.
He ended the over with a quick couple off the inside edge as the ball rolled past 'keeper Ishan Kishan. His four-ball 20 came at a strike rate of 500!
Dhoni's aggressive shot making took CSK past 200 with the total reading 206 for 4.
The crowd roared to Mahi's big hits, with the cheers rising to deafening levels with every hit. The jam-packed Wankhede forgot all the differences and fan wars that come with T20 franchise cricket.
One lucky fan received the match ball from Dhoni
Dhoni has now hit most sixes in the 20th over in IPL history with 64 maximums. The next best after him is retired Mumbai Indians batter Keiron Pollard with 33 sixes.
While batting in the 20th over in the IPL, Dhoni has faced 309 balls, scoring 756 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 244.66. He has smashed 51 fours and 64 sixes in the final over of the innings throughout his IPL career.
This season, Dhoni has faced 12 balls in the final over, scoring 41 runs with a strike rate of 341.66. Two of these balls travelled to the fence for four while five deliveries were dispatched into the skies.
In four innings this season, Dhoni has scored 59 runs and ended unbeaten on every occasion. He has scored his runs at a strike rate of 236. His best score of 37* in 16 balls came against the Delhi Capitals, with four boundaries and three sixes. He smoked Anrich Nortje, one of the best pacers in the world, for 20 runs in the final over, including two fours and two sixes.
In 256 IPL games, Dhoni has scored 5,141 runs at an average of 39.24 and a strike rate of 136.58, with 24 fifties. His best score is 84*.
