MS Dhoni, in his early days, used to bat up the order in international cricket. But soon he transformed himself into a finisher, closing the proceedings on a high at the fag end of a game.
Dhoni also embraced that role wholeheartedly in the Indian Premier League (IPL), providing elegant finishing touches in several innings for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
His batting stats in the death overs (17-20) are a testament to his skills and the ability to thrive under pressure.
On that note, let’s glance at MS Dhoni’s batting record in the death overs in IPL history.
MS Dhoni Batting Stats in Death Overs in IPL
| Innings Batted | 172 |
| Runs Scored | 2786 |
| Balls Faced | 1474 |
| 4s/6s | 211/175 |
| Dot Balls | 383 |
| Average | 35.26 |
| Strike Rate | 189.00 |
| Dismissals | 79 |
Key Insights
MS Dhoni is the only batter who has scored 2000 or more runs in the death overs in the IPL. Moreover, he leads the run chart with the most runs in the last 4 overs in the T20 tournament.
MSD has also whacked the most sixes between the 17th and 20th overs in the IPL, with him being the only one with 150+ maximums.
His fours tally is also the highest, making him the only batter with 150+ fours and 150+ sixes in the death-over phase.
In the last 4 overs, Thala Dhoni strikes at around 190. His strike rate is only bettered by AB de Villiers (232.56), Andre Russell (203), Virat Kohli (200), and Rohit Sharma (196), with all of them having 1000+ runs in the death overs.
If we look at his numbers against different bowling types, Dhoni has scored over 2300 runs against pacers at a strike rate of around 195. However, pacers have also dismissed him in more than 60 innings.
Since spinners don’t bowl often in the death overs, he has garnered 330+ runs with a drop in his strike rate, which hovers around 155. And spinners have dismissed MSD in over a dozen innings.
Dhoni’s batting stats in the final over, i.e., the 20th over, are also astonishing. He has scored 770+ runs along with 65+ sixes at a strike rate close to 250.
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