IPL 2018: 5 times MS Dhoni failed to finish an IPL match

Every time MS Dhoni's name pops up in any cricketing conversation, the topics that are likely to be discussed are his tremendous captaincy record, the calm head he sports on his reliable shoulders, his hard-hitting batting proficiency and the sleek glove-work he pulls off behind the stumps.

The former Indian skipper's ability to finish the innings also one of the salient attributes that make him such a giant entity in the cricket universe today.

However, even for a finisher of the stature of Dhoni, a rare failure rears its ugly head from time to time. This article aims at dissecting the unsuccessful chasing attempts that have been spread far and few between his ten-year-long IPL career.

Let us look at the five instances when the right-handed batsman failed to take his team home in the second innings of an IPL game:

#5 Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (2008)

If there was one team that was a thorn in the mighty CSK's side in the first edition of the IPL, it was the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals. They not only beat the Men in Yellow in the final of the tournament by an excruciating margin of just one wicket, they also rendered Dhoni incapable of completing a chase early on, in the group stages of the league.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, RR put up a formidable total of 211/5 at the end of 20 overs.

CSK tried hard to match up to the score, but fell short by ten runs at the end of it all. Dhoni, who looked ready for the long haul after scoring 12 from seven deliveries, was dismissed on the eighth ball he faced in the innings.

He walked back to the pavilion in the 18th over of the game, thereby ending the chances of CSK coming out on top in the exciting contest.

#4 Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (2009)

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are perhaps the two giants of IPL, who lock horns regularly to assert their absolute supremacy and strength in the tournament.

There can never be an out-an-out judgment on which of the two is the bigger one. However, the two are still considered far ahead of the others in the league.

Quite fittingly, the first game of IPL 2018 will be contested between these two sides. This will be evocative of the second edition of the league, which was also initiated by CSK and MI going head-to-head with each other in the very first game.

The runners-up from IPL 2008, CSK won the toss and decided to take the field first. They restricted Mumbai Indians to a total of 165/7 in their quota of 20 overs. It looked like the strong batting line-up of CSK was more than capable of chasing it down with relative ease.

However, it proved to be an extremely tricky ask for Dhoni's men. With a disciplined bowling display, Mumbai Indians were able to win the game by 19 huge runs. With a knock of 36 from 26 deliveries, Dhoni tried to do what he does best at the end of the innings, but couldn't make it happen for once.

He perished on the third-last delivery of the match to the Sachin Tendulkar-led team.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings (2013)

The rain turned the match into an eight-overs per side thriller!

The 70th match of IPL 2013 was definitely worth the wait for those patient spectators who lingered around in the stadium as the match length kept getting curtailed due to recurring showers. When the rain gods finally showed mercy on those assembled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, they were treated with a thriller of a contest between two giant teams.

The game was reduced to eight overs per side, and was nothing short of blistering in its short time span.

CSK won the toss and chose to field first, but the decision could not have gone worse for the visitors. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen went absolutely bonkers from the very first minute of the game and scored as many as 106 fiery runs in the eight overs that were alloted to them.

The match was almost out of CSK's grasp when Dhoni walked into the middle with his team struggling at 29/3 after four overs. He swung and shafted his bat multiple times to score 24 runs off just 10 deliveries, thereby breathing life into the contest all over again.

However, his wicket was scalped by Zaheer Khan and again, off the third-last delivery of the match. Kohli and his men won the exhilarating encounter by 24 runs.

#2 Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings: Qualifier 2 (2014)

Dhoni remained unbeaten on 42 off 31 deliveries

This riveting encounter between the Kings XI Punjab and the Chennai Super Kings was an incredible contest for about 27 overs.

The side from Punjab scored as many as 226 runs in the first innings of the game, thanks to an incredible century from Virender Sehwag. It looked like the score was too much to chase in a knock-out game, even for the fabled CSK batting line-up.

Out came Suresh Raina with the intent to win the match for his team. The explosive left-handed batsmen scored 87 runs at a dazzling pace, using up just 25 deliveries to get to them. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, he was dismissed run-out in the 7th over of the second innings.

He had brought the match firmly in Chennai's reach by the time he walked back to the pavilion. The two-time IPL champions required just 100 runs off the 83 deliveries that were remaining in the chase and with a finisher like MS Dhoni in the hut, it looked probable that CSK would run away with the game.

However, things unraveled soon after Raina's dismissal. Dhoni remained unbeaten on the crease at a score of 42* from 31 deliveries, but could not take his team home.

KXIP stormed into the final of the tournament with a 24-run victory.

#1 Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings: Final (2013)

The Mumbai Indians lifted their first IPL trophy after beating CSK in the final

The Mumbai-based club's Iong-standing wait for an IPL trophy finally came to a head when the Rohit Sharma-led side beat the Chennai Super Kings in the final of the sixth edition of the tournament.

Batting first, the Mumbai Indians got off to a torrid start in the first innings and were reduced to 52-4 after 9.3 overs. However, two vital knocks - one each from Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu saw them tread to a fighting total of 148/9 after 20 overs.

Their total still looked woefully small before the monstrous batting unit on the other side. However, Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Johnson brought their best to the table and hurled fireballs at the CSK batsmen from the very first over of the second innings. No one but Dhoni could stand up to their onslaught.

However, the skipper's solitary fight wasn't good enough for him to lift that prestigious trophy for the record third time. He was stranded at one end at an unbeaten 63 off 4 deliveries, while the rest of his teammates failed to cross even 20 in the innings.

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It is worthy to be noted that of in all the times Dhoni remained not-out in an IPL chase, his team couldn't get past the finishing line just twice. This stat, in itself, is a testament to the former Indian captain's peerless finishing prowess.