IPL: Top three knocks by MS Dhoni in tournament history 

IPL 2020 is (hopefully) just around the corner as cricket fans gear up to witness the return of India's greatest wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni. The right-handed batsman from Ranchi has been away from the cricket field ever since Martin Guptill ran him out in the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup.

Talking about his numbers in the IPL, Dhoni has played for two franchises namely Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant. He is the only player to have featured in nine IPL finals while he has aggregated over 4,000 runs and executed 133 dismissals in the competition.

Dhoni returned to the practice nets just a few weeks ago however, the postponement of IPL 2020 has forced him to return home. With the Chennai Super Kings skipper set to make a return to the world's toughest T20 league soon, here's a look at the top three knocks played by him in the IPL.

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#3 75* (46) vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai

MS Dhoni saved the day for Chennai Super Kings with a magnificent innings

Known for his saving his team from tense situations, MS Dhoni once rescued his team's innings after the Rajasthan Royals reduced them to 27-3 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The former India captain was part of a 61-run partnership for the fourth wicket before switching gears and taking the team's total to 175 runs.

Dhoni focused more on singles and doubles as he hit only four fours and four sixes in his knock of 75 runs. The standout statistic of this innings was his strike rate of 163.04. His brilliant effort helped Chennai set a target of 176 runs and some superb bowling performances from Imran Tahir and Deepak Chahar helped Chennai win the match by 8 runs.

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#2 79* (44) vs Kings XI Punjab, Mohali

MS Dhoni almost powered the Chennai Super Kings to a win in Mohali

When the fans questioned his big-hitting abilities in the year 2018, MS Dhoni silenced his critics with a masterclass in Mohali. Chris Gayle's blitzkrieg in the first innings guided Punjab to a score of 197 runs. Chasing 198 runs, Chennai lost their top three batsmen for just 56 runs.

Dhoni rebuilt the innings with Ambati Rayudu and when the latter lost his wicket, the skipper single-handedly blew away the Punjab bowling lineup. He hit six boundaries and five maximums in his whirlwind innings; however, as he did not get enough support from the other end, Chennai lost the match by just 4 runs.

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#1 84* (48) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bengaluru

The entire fan-base of Royal Challengers Bangalore skipped a beat when MS Dhoni destroyed Umesh Yadav in the final over

MS Dhoni played one of the best innings in IPL history against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium last year. RCB batted first and scored 161 runs in their 20 overs. Dale Steyn's double strike put CSK on the back-foot. Later, Umesh Yadav picked up two quick wickets to reduce the visitors to 28/4.

Just like above occasions, Dhoni rebuilt the innings with his partners. No other Chennai batsman could surpass the 30-runs landmark while MS Dhoni was batting on 60 when Yadav came in to defend 26 runs off the final 6 deliveries. The World Cup winning-skipper showcased his big-hitting talent as he whacked one four and three sixes off the first five deliveries.

The equation came down to 2 runs off 1 ball when an unfortunate run out led to CSK's defeat by the smallest of the margins. Dhoni recorded his highest T20 score that night whereas he also became the first Indian player to hit 200 sixes in IPL that night.