Dhoni the finisher is finished? Definitely not.

 

Have you ever been on a see-saw? If not, don't worry. You can just have a look at the first qualifier between Chennai and Delhi. Just when the match looked to be tilting in favour of one team, someone came and ensured the match hangs still in the balance, be it Shreyas Iyer in the outfield, or Dhoni in the final over.

It all started with MS Dhoni winning the toss and opting to field first. Out walked the Delhi openers, Dhawan and Shaw, with a mission in their mind, to give Delhi a solid start, who had gone with a batsman short. Shaw started with a bang, which the viewers have now been accustomed to, scoring 43 off 19 balls at the end of the powerplay. Wickets kept falling at the other end but Prithvi Shaw was unmoved by it. It was finally a brilliant catch by Faf du Plessis that could stop Prithvi's carnage, who ended up scoring 60 off 34 balls.

At 80-4, it seemed the game is well in Chennai's hands. But Pant and Hetmyer ensured Delhi finished with 172 runs in 20 overs. It was an excellent recovery one must say. The total seemed enough for Delhi's bowling unit, which was by far the best this year, to defend.

Things started going in Delhi's favour in the very first over. Faf du Plessis had no answer to Nortje's pace as he got out bowled in only the fourth delivery of the innings. Robin Uthappa came out with a point to prove, which was evident in his very first ball as he hit it for a boundary. And then there was no stopping for Chennai as Ruturaj and Uthappa stitched a 110 run partnership. But the game was not done yet as Chennai lost 3 wickets for 6 runs, courtesy of some outstanding fielding by Shreyas Iyer. 

Chennai needed 44 off the last 4 overs, but with Ruturaj still at the crease, the match was still in the balance. In the penultimate over, Avesh Khan got the prized wicket of Ruturaj and then we saw an out of form, aged Dhoni coming into bat before Jadeja, who has been in stellar form with the bat. Was it sensible? Of course, Dhoni had the answer.

Scoring 18 runs off 6 balls, Dhoni finished things off in style. Chennai won by 4 wickets and match into their 9th IPL final. Delhi still has another chance to have a go at the title in the second qualifier. One must also question Pant's tactics of not bowling Rabada in the final two overs. But one thing was clear for sure, Dhoni the finisher is not finished yet.