Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 14 : Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni added another feather to his cap in his illustrious career and further cemented his legacy in the world of cricket by becoming the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to complete 200 fielding dismissals.
Dhoni achieved the feat during the Chennai Super Kings encounter against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Following his heroics behind the stumps in Lucknow in the 14th over, the seasoned wicketkeeper became the first player to script the feat to his name. Ayush Badoni, who was trying to increase the run flow in the middle overs, strolled out of the crease while trying to take on Ravindra Jadeja.
But Jadeja, with his experience, used his pace and line to beat Badoni's bat. Dhoni, with lightning-quick speed, collected the ball and ignited the bails in a flash by dislodging them off the stumps.
In his 271st IPL appearance, Dhoni breached the 200-dismissal mark by successfully completing his counterpart Rishabh Pant's catch in the final over as LSG packed their innings on 166/7. The seasoned wicketkeeper batter boasts 201 dismissals, consisting of 155 catches and 46 stumpings.
Former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik occupies the second spot with 182 dismissals under his belt. Royal Challengers Bengaluru icon AB de Villiers sits in the third spot with 126 dismissals to his name.
In his record-shattering fixture, Dhoni won the toss and decided to put Lucknow to bat. Apart from a 50-run stand between Mitchell Marsh (30 in 25 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and skipper Pant, there was nothing much standing out for LSG in the first half.
Pant came good with a half-century, scoring 63 in 49 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes. Pant had a 53-run stand with Abdul Samad (20 in 11 balls, with two sixes) towards the end, which took LSG to 166/7 in their 20 overs. Ravindra Jadeja (2/24) and Matheesha Pathirana (2/45) were the top bowlers for CSK.