Watch: For first time in IPL career, MS Dhoni hits monstrous first-ball six with unbelievable shot | Cricket

Amid thunderous ‘Dhoni, Dhoni’ chants at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, in walked Chennai Super Kings’ biggest superstar MS Dhoni. There was different confidence in the way Dhoni made his way into the centre with only 10 balls remaining in the CSK innings against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022. The walk had similarities with the way Dhoni used to storm his way into the crease during his heydays. Seconds later, the legendary cricketer proved that not only the walk but also the batting had shades of his past. Dhoni got off the mark with a first-ball six on Thursday for the first time in his IPL career. He had done it twice in international cricket – once against England and then against New Zealand in 2017 but never in his 15-year-long IPL career had Dhoni smashed his first ball for a maximum, until 31st March 2022.

Also read: IPL 2022: Gautam Gambhir wins hearts with touching caption for MS Dhoni after LSG’s win against CSK; picture goes viral

Avesh Khan had just dismissed the rampaging Shivam Dube one short of a well-deserved half-century but the tall right-arm seamer made an error by not only banging it in short but also giving him width.

Dhoni used those strong wrists of his to just guided it over cover point for a six. Despite the not so big boundaries of the Brabourne stadium, it still would be considered as a big hit as it landed a few rows back in the stands.

Watch: MS Dhoni’s first-ball six vs Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022

Dhoni’s next showing was a boundary through the vacant third man region and although he failed to score off the final two balls of the penultimate over, he managed to finish off well with another boundary in the final ball of the CSK innings.

With the boundary, Dhoni also became the first Indian designated wicketkeeper-batter to reach 7000 T20 runs. Overall, he was only the sixth Indian batter after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, and Robin Uthappa.

Dhoni, who had scored an unbeaten fifty in the first match of IPL 2022, remained unbeaten on 16 off 6 balls.

However, even as CSK finished their innings on a mammoth score of 210/7, it wasn’t enough for the side to register a maiden win in the season. Riding on an explosive 55-run innings off just 23 deliveries from Evin Lewis and key contributions from captain KL Rahul (40), Quinton de Kock (61), and Ayush Badoni (19* off 9 balls), LSG registered a six-wicket victory.