"You get the same points" - MS Dhoni gets candid about batting against El Clasico rivals Mumbai Indians in the IPL
Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) veteran keeper-batter MS Dhoni dismissed claims that he bats in a different mode against old rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. Acknowledging that MI and CSK have built a legendary rivalry, he added that a team gets the same number of points for a win irrespective of the opposition.
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians met in IPL 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, March 23. In a tight game, CSK registered a four-wicket win. Dhoni effected a brilliant stumping of Suryakumar Yadav and remained unbeaten on zero in CSK's chase.
During an interaction on The MSD Experience on JioHotstar, Dhoni was asked whether he does something different while batting against Mumbai Indians and whether batting against MI is his forte. The former CSK captain replied:
"Nothing like that. As a batter, I want to perform against all teams. The team I am batting against—what does the team want from me? According to that, you try to bat and perform. I don't think so there is any rivalry. I don't pick teams as personal or franchise rivalries because it just adds extra pressure on you. At the end of the day, if you play against any franchise and win, you get the same points.
"Of course, depending on where they are positioned on the table that point may matter slightly more. But your view needs to be the same. You want to keep performing and do well against each and every team. For me personally, the opposition doesn’t matter. Winning the game matters. That’s the case whether it’s Mumbai or any other franchise," the 43-year-old went on to add.
Dhoni has scored 768 runs in 43 IPL matches against Mumbai Indians at an average of 36.57 and a strike rate of 131.12. He has three fifties to his name against MI, with a best of 63. The keeper-batter slammed 51* off 20 in the IPL 2012 Eliminator clash in Bengaluru, which CSK won by 38 runs.
"You are always looking for a six" - MS Dhoni on the art of death-overs batting
Dhoni has been the master of death-overs hitting in white-ball cricket for a number of years. He won numerous games for India from tough situations. Last season for CSK in the IPL, he mostly came in with a few deliveries left and threw his bat around. Sharing his thoughts on batting at the death, Dhoni said:
"When you go in to bat, you look at the scoreboard— what the team needs from you. If you are going to face 4-5 deliveries, you try to hit as many big shots as you can. At that moment, the thought process is only about hitting a six. In fact, you hardly plan for a four, especially if you have wickets in hand. A four becomes a by-product—you are always looking for a six.
"With God's grace, I have been able to score so many runs in the last few deliveries because, in a high-scoring game, every run counts. If you're getting a six instead of a four, that extra two runs really matters," the 43-year-old added.
Dhoni has played 265 games in the IPL and has scored 5,243 runs at an average of 39.12 and a strike rate of 137.46, with 24 half-centuries and a best of 84*.