GUWAHATI: Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) stand-in captain MS Dhoni became the oldest player to receive the Player of the Match (POTM) award in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as he produced a late-innings blitz to guide CSK to a thrilling win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
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Dhoni was presented with the laurel on Monday, April 14, at the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Chasing a target of 167, he scored a quickfire 26 off 11 deliveries, helping CSK cross the finish line in a last-over finish.
Dhoni’s composed and explosive innings earned him the POTM award, which led to breaking an 11-year-old IPL record. At 43 years and 280 days, Dhoni surpassed former Rajasthan Royals spinner Pravin Tambe, who held the previous record after winning the award at 42 years and 208 days in 2014.
Despite the personal accolade, Dhoni, however, downplayed his contribution and expressed surprise at receiving the honour. He stated that Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad, who bowled economically during the LSG innings, was more deserving of the award.
“Even today I was like – ‘why are they giving me the award?’ Noor bowled really well,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation.
