MS Dhoni masterminds KKR's crucial top-order wicket with Jadeja; Tushar Deshpande's epic gesture sums it up

Chennai Super Kings registered a 49-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders to climb to the top of the table in the 2023 Indian Premier League on Sunday. The side put out a stunning batting performance after KKR captain Nitish Rana opted to bowl at the iconic Eden Gardens, putting the highest score in the edition so far (235/4 in 20 overs). While Ajinkya Rahane played out a blinder (71* off 29 deliveries), Shivam Dube also smashed 50 off just 21 balls while Devon Conway (56) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (35) gave the side a brisk start.

In the run-chase, KKR endured a poor start as the side lost its first two wickets for a combined total of 1; Akash Singh took Sunil Narine's wicket in the very first over, while other opener Narayan Jagadeesan followed suit in the next. Tushar Deshpande picked the wicket of Jagadeesan on the second delivery of his over.

Deshpande pitched the ball short and outside off and Jagadeesan pounced on the delivery but gets a thick outside edge. The ball, regardless, sails over the inner circle but Ravindra Jadeja makes an impressive sprint from deep third man to take the catch. And it seemed CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had masterminded the dismssal, for Murali Karthik – the commentator on-air at the time – stated that Deshpande had looked immediately at Dhoni following the dismissal and that the CSK skipper had placed the fielder in position.

This was CSK's third win in a row as the side made an excellent recovery after losing the opener of the season against defending champions Gujarat Titans. The Super Kings, after a forgettable 2022 edition – where they finished 9th – are enjoying a superb season this year and will be aiming to equal Mumbai Indians for their fifth IPL title in history.

There are speculations that the 2023 season could be Dhoni's last in the tournament and the last week, the CSK skipper further dropped a hint over the same when he said during a presentation ceremony that this is the “last phase” of his career