Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni has been in fantastic form in this IPL. Not only has he been marshalling the troops with great presence of mind but he has also been the mainstay in CSK’s batting line-up. With 405 runs in only 13 matches, Dhoni is currently the highest run scorer for CSK in IPL 2019. On Friday, when Chennai Super Kings take on Delhi Capitals for a spot in the final in Qualifier 2, Dhoni also has a chance to become the most successful wicket-keeper of IPL.

Dhoni is only 3 dismissals away from surpassing KKR captain Dinesh Karthik to become the wicket-keeper with most dismissals in IPL. It may seem surprising that Dhoni doesn’t hold the record in the first place, considering his consistency behind the stumps but the CSK captain has a golden opportunity to claim the top spot against Delhi Capitals.

Dhoni, currently with 129 dismissals – 91 catches and 38 stumpings – to his name, is only 2 dismissals behind Dinesh Karthik (131 dismissals), who holds the IPL record at the moment.

Another KKR cricketer, Robin Uthappa, who has stopped keeping wickets from last season, is third on the list with 90 dismissals to his name. Among the foreigners, only Adam Gilchrist(67) has more than 50 dismissals in IPL.

The pitch for the Qualifier 2 between CSK and DC at Visakhapatnam is expected to be on the slower side, meaning CSK would like to go in with a three-pronged spin-attack comprising Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja. That gives Dhoni more opportunities to inflict a stumping or two.

Dhoni has already grabbed the headlines on more than occasion this IPL with his lightning-quick stumpings and there is no reason why he cannot repeat the same on Friday against DC.

The winner of this game will face Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019 final at Hyderabad on May 12.

First Published: May 10, 2019 10:13 IST