'Made me jump out of my seat again tonight': Kohli hails 'greatest finisher ever' Dhoni, tweets 'the king is back'

MS Dhoni sent his legion of fans in total euphoria as his cameo of 18 not out of six balls, helped Chennai Super Kings overhaul Delhi Capitals' 172 and reach the final of the IPL for a record ninth time. Moreover, the fact that Dhoni the finisher was back was what made the night even more special in Dubai in Sunday. With 13 needed off the last over, Dhoni rolled back the years, smashing three boundaries to win the game for CSK.

Needless to say, Dhoni's knock got the world talking, with India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli's tweet winning hearts. Kohli has always admired MSD, and said multiple times that whenever he hears the word captain, the first name that comes to mind is that of Dhoni. The CSK captain's cameo of 18 off six balls, including three fours and a six made Kohli 'jump out of his seat.'

Also Read | 'I haven't done a lot in the tournament, wanted to get that out of the system': Dhoni on his 'finisher' knock against DC

"Anddddd the king is back. The greatest finisher ever in the game. Made me jump outta my seat once again tonight," Kohli tweeted in appreciation of Dhoni.

CSK needed 24 off 11 balls when Dhoni walked out to bat. A set Ruturaj Gaikwad, who continued his brilliant form with a knock of 70, had just gotten out, and given the form Dhoni was in, DC would have given themselves a chance. But unfortunately for Rishabh Pant and Co. they ran into a Dhoni special.

After a dot ball up first, Dhoni smashed his second ball and the fifth of the penultimate over off Avesh Khan into the stands, much to the delight of the onlookers. With Moeen Ali on strike first ball of the last over, Tom Curran dismissed his England team-mate, bringing the equation to 12 off 6. Dhoni then turned the tables, hitting back-to-back fours off Curran – a powerful hit through the off side, followed by an inside edge that ran away to the boundary.

The pressure on Curran was visible, who bowled a wide, bringing it down to 4 needed off 3. At that juncture, the finish was inevitable. A third slower ball in the over which was short of length, Dhoni pulled it behind point to win the game for CSK.