IPL 2023 [WATCH]: Hardik Pandya becomes victim of MS Dhoni’s tactical brilliance during GT vs CSK clash

The Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 saw Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take onGujarat Titans (GT) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday (May 23). CSK emerged victorious in the contest and sa♒iled into the record 10th IPL final. Apart from the Chennai-based team’s win, what left fans in awe was MS Dhoni’s brilliance in dismissing GT skipper Hardik Pandya.

Asked to bat first, Chennai got off to a decent start with the opening duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway adding 87 runs for the first wicket. While Ruturaj scored a brilliant 60 off 44 deliveries, Conway contributed 40 runs off 34 balls. In the meantime, some late fireworks from Ravindra Jadeja (22) powered CSK to a competitive total of 172/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Mohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami were the pick ꦆof the bowlers as they bagged two wickets each for Gujarat.

In reply, Gujarat kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out on 157 in their 20 overs. Although GT batters tried hard, with Shubman Gill scoring resilient 42 off 38 deliveries and Hardik promoting himself up the order at no. 3, they fell 15 runs short of reaching the finishing line. Notably, the dismissal of Hardik was plotted by Dho༒ni.

It all happened on the fifth ball of the sixth over when Dhoni changed the field placement for Hardik in Maheesh Theekshana𓃲’s spell and moved Jadeja from backward square to backward point. The tactical genius of the CSK cap𝔍tain turned out to be a masterstroke as Hardik became the victim of Theekshana and ended up slicing the ball straight into the hands of Jadeja.

Here’s the video:

👀 Dhoni moved a fielder to the off-side a ball pri♔or to Hardik getting dismissed!

— JioCinema (@JioCinema)

With the win, CSK has confirmed their spot in the final of IPL 2023. Meanwhile, GT will now face the winner of Eliminator in Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 26). It is noteworthy that the Eliminator will be played between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians�� (MI) at the MA Ch♐idambaram Stadium on Wednesday (May 24).