[Watch] When MS Dhoni hit a six identical to the one vs DC in IPL 2024 during his 183* back in 2005

Dhoni had fans on the edge of their seats with his incredible ball-striking

It is that time of the year when MS Dhoni has fans buzzing with his fearsome finish to an innings in the IPL.

The latest encounter between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was no different as Dhoni thrilled the crowd with his ball striking in his first batting stint of the season. Coming in at 120/6 in the 17th over, Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, including three maximums, to reduce CSK's margin of defeat to only 20 runs.

While the quickfire knock reminded fans of Dhoni's several vintage performances over the years, his first six over extra cover off Khaleel Ahmed sent the packed stadium into a frenzy.

Striking lusty blows through the off-side hasn't always been Dhoni's forte, yet his hits in the DC clash proved otherwise. The former CSK captain also produced another incredible maximum through the same region off a low full-toss from Anrich Nortje in the final ball of the innings.

It is also noteworthy that MS Dhoni struck a similar six to that of Khaleel during his famous 183* in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Jaipur in 2005. With India chasing 299 for victory, Dhoni walked in at No.3 and smashed legendary pacer Chaminda Vaas for a six over the extra cover region.

Here is a video of that sensational free-flowing off-side maximum from Dhoni almost 19 years back:

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The massive strike got Dhoni going and the wicketkeeper-batter never stopped, scoring 183* off 145 balls to help India chase 299 in the 47th over with six wickets in hand.

It was his second ODI century, with the first one also coming at No.3 earlier that year against Pakistan in Vizag. India won the seven-match series against Sri Lanka by a 6-1 margin with Dhoni scoring an unbeaten 45* and 80 in the fourth and sixth ODIs, respectively.

CSK suffered their first defeat in IPL 2024 despite MS Dhoni's heroics

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Unfortunately for CSK, MS Dhoni's late-game heroics could not save them from losing their first game of the 2024 IPL season.

After winning their opening two outings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) convincingly, the defending champions came out with a lacklustre bowling display.

The Men in Yellow conceded a mammoth 191/5 to DC in their 20 overs, with David Warner and Rishabh Pant registering excellent half-centuries.

In reply, the CSK batters never got going, losing both openers with only seven runs on the board. Despite a brief recovery thanks to Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Daryll Mitchell (34), the game was all but done when Dhoni entered.

Nevertheless, in a league where Net Run Rate often decides playoff spots in the end, MS Dhoni's scintillating knock helped CSK remain in second place on the points table.