Did MS Dhoni's 110m Six Cost CSK The Game Vs RCB And Playoffs Spot In IPL 2024?

Cricket is a strange game. Sometimes, your own strength can come back to bite you. Have you ever heard that a six hit by a batter could cost his or team a match? No? This happened in the RCB vs CSK clash in IPL 2024, which was a virtual quarterfinal of sorts. RCB needed to win the game by a margin of 18 runs to qualify and CSK needed to win or lose with less than 18 runs to get into the playoffs. In the end, the five-time champions could not cross the mark and are on their way out as RCB completed a huge comeback after being written off at the start of the tournament.

Also Read | MS Dhoni Hides Emotions, Disappears From Dugout After CSK Crash Out Of IPL 2024; Watch

Placed at the bottom of the table, three weeks ago, even RCB fans had given hope except the players and the coaching staff. The self-belief of the whole team led to a revival as RCB won six on the trot to make it to the playoffs. Of course, some other results also worked in their favour. 

Virat Kohli was on top of the world and did an animated celebration to enjoy the win and the playoffs qualification. While one picture was of Virat's delight , the other was of Dhoni's quiet. Dhoni had a stunned look on his face with a lot going on in his head. There are speculations that he may not return to play in CSK jersey next year. What also may have been going on in his mind was the six he hit off the first ball of the last over bowled by Yash Dayal. That six could have led to CSK losing the match and eventually the spot in the playoffs? Why? We will tell you next.

CSK were way off the winning mark. But they needed just 17 to make it to the playoffs off the last six. Dayal got the ball in hand. He had been hit for five-sixes in the over last year by Rinku Singh when he was part of the Gujarat Titans. That fear must have crossed his mind again when Dhoni pulled him for a 100m six that crossed not just the boundary line but also the stadium.

A new ball was called for. This was not a brand new ball. But a different ball which has also been used for 19 overs. However, this ball was much drier than the one sent by Dhoni to Cubbon Park. The six helped CSK bring down the equation to 11 needed off 5 balls but the new ball turned out to be a huge asset for Dayal, who now could use his slower deliveries to greater effect. 

Dayal was able to grip the ball better as it was not wet. The previous ball was very wet as it has been played for 19 overs on the dew-laden outfield. Dayal bowled a back-of-the-hand slower ball and Dhoni ended up top-edging it and was eventual caught. The next three deliveries were the same. Slower ones. CSK scored just 1 off them. The new ball did the trick for RCB and they sealed a win for the ages.

Had there been a wet ball, bowling the slower ones could have been very hard. Cricket is a game of small margins and T20 game especially changes in minutes thanks to these minute factors which has massive impact on the game.