"Captain Cool hit two sixes in a row to get us into the playoffs" - CSK's Mike Hussey reminisces favourite IPL moment
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) assistant coach Mike Hussey has picked his favorite IPL moment. He said the do-or-die game between Chennai and Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) during IPL 2010 stood out to him.
Incidentally, today marks the completion of 15 years of a cricketing revolution that started in 2008. The T20 league, which has unearthed many cricketers, has only gotten better and bigger.
In a video shared by the Chennai franchise, Mike Hussey recalled how MS Dhoni got the IPL team over the line with two sixes on the trot at the HPCA Cricket Stadium. The former Australian cricketer said:
"My memory that stands out for me was a game at Dharamshala. Coming into the game, we were in the fifth position outside the playoff top four spots. We had to win obviously and the game was tight. It came right down to the wire, MS Dhoni was out in the middle."
He added:
"We needed 10 off the last two balls and Irfan Pathan was bowling for Kings XI. Pretty good bowler in himself and it was never going to be easy. Of course, Captain Cool hit two sixes in a row to get us into the playoffs. And again we were good enough to go on to win the finals against Mumbai Indians. So that's one memory that really stands out to me."
Chasing a mammoth total of 193 runs, Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath set up the heist after CSK lost their openers cheaply. Raina was dismissed after a well-made 27-ball 46 before Dhoni took over.
Ultimately, it boiled down to CSK needing 16 runs off the final over. The Chennai captain took it on himself, taking six runs off the first two balls before hitting two maximums in the next two balls to take the team home.
The Super Kings eventually won their maiden IPL title that season, beating the Mumbai Indians by 22 runs at the DY Patil Sports Stadium. Since then, they have won three more titles and entered the list of IPL winners.
Click here for the latest IPL live score 2022 and news updates.
CSK placed ninth in the points table in IPL 2022
Speaking of the current season, the defending champions are off to their worst start in IPL history. They lost their first four games before beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in their fifth outing. Much to the dismay of the fans, Chennai suffered another defeat in their last game against Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
Batting first, they posted 169 runs on the board. Ruturak Gaikwad found his lost touch, scoring 73 off 48 balls, while Ambati Rayudu also chipped in with a useful 46 runs to post a decent total on the board.
The bowlers got CSK off to a brilliant start, reducing Gujarat to 16/3. But David Miller played an unbeaten 94-run blitz to win the game for his side. Stand-in captain Rashid Khan also made a handy contribution with a 21-ball 40 run cameo.
With this victory, the Titans strengthened their position at the top of the IPL 2022 points table with 10 points in their kitty. CSK, on the other hand, have two points from six matches.