With just two games left in the league stage, the suspense surrounding MS Dhoni‘s availability for the remaining fixtures continues to grow. The 44-year-old former CSK captain is yet to play a game this season owing to a hamstring injury suffered before the tournament began. While the CSK team management has hinted over the past few weeks that the veteran is on the right recovery path, Dhoni’s return date remains a mystery. CSK play Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk on Monday (May 18), followed by an away game against the Gujarat Titans on Thursday (May 21).
However, veteran cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle wondered whether Dhoni is likely to make a surprise appearance during CSK’s home game on Monday.
“There’s only one game left in Chennai. On the 18th. I won’t be surprised if the city is yellow. I won’t be surprised if there is even if it’s a Hitchcockian appearance,” Bhogle said during a discussion on Cricbuzz.
CSK’s playoff qualification hopes hang by a thread, with the five-time champions needing victories in both their remaining games. They currently have 12 points from as many matches.
Following KKR’s win over Gujarat Titans, CSK’s qualification chances have reduced from 28.4 to 28 per cent.
Finn Allen‘s breathtaking 93 and Angkrish Raghuvanshi‘s equally engaging 82 were the differentiators as Kolkata Knight Riders made Gujarat Titans pay heavily for their sloppy fielding to secure a 29-run win, keeping their slender playoff hopes alive in the IPL match on Saturday.
Allen’s explosive 35-ball knock laid the platform before Raghuvanshi, whose unbeaten innings came off 44 balls, and Cameron Green (52 not out; 28b) finished strongly. They added 108 runs off just 53 balls, lifting KKR to a season-best 247 for two.
In reply, skipper Shubman Gill (85, 49b), Jos Buttler (57, 35b) and Sai Sudharsan (53 no, 28b) fought well, but GT had to settle for 218 for four.
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