Which batting shot has seen MS Dhoni amp up strike rate from 152 to 250 in last two years?

This is a swansong that is rolling out in episodes and years. With “Definitely Nots”, “One last time” Morse-coded tees and probable leaps of faith, MS Dhoni has played 53 IPL matches in three-and-a-half seasons since turning 40 in 2021. That is an extensive IPL career packed within itself, level with 23-year-old sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal’s tally in five seasons from debut and ahead of 581 players who have ever appeared in the league.When his batting season ended with a golden duck with a chip to cover in the IPL 2023 final that Chennai Super Kings eventually clinched off the last ball, Dhoni and his dodgy knee had a bittersweet exit point ready before him. That was until he reloaded for 2024, literally, with more muscle in his game.
And yet when he skied a Yash Dayal bumper to deep backward-square and CSK went crashing out of the Playoffs race in their final game last season in Bengaluru, Dhoni would be deprived of that ‘Thala’ climax.
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The farewell question is only a sub-plot as the CSK talisman enters a fresh cycle this Sunday. If anything, Dhoni’s cameos and traces of ineffective death bowling from opponents, have renewed his confidence in running another mile in the world’s most competitive T20 league.

Highest death overs SR in IPL 2023-24 (min. 250 runs)

Player
Innings
SR
Runs

MS Dhoni
22
209.83
256

Heinrich Klaasen
15
209.02
278

Dinesh Karthik
20
199.29
283

Tim David
21
195.93
337

Rinku Singh
19
193.25
315

Nicholas Pooran
19
180.72
300

Ravindra Jadeja
19
166.6
265

Partly lost in CSK’s middling 2024 season was Dhoni’s effectiveness in his retrenched finishing role. Thanks to the Impact Player injection, Dhoni’s entry points were predominantly plotted around the last four overs, bread and butter in his heyday. But even at 43, Dhoni’s death-over mastery put most oppositions to the sword. A glance at the numbers and you’ll have him jostling among the best after the two quickest-scoring editions of the tournament.
Of the seven batters who have piled on at least 250 runs at the death (17-20) since 2023, Dhoni’s colossal 209.83 strike rate ranks the best, even overshadowing the South African heavyweight, Heinrich Klaasen (209.02). In the 23 innings he has played in this period, nearly 93 percent (122 of 130 balls) of Dhoni’s batting was restricted to the death. Dhoni pumped 23 of them over the fence, a maximum every 5.3 deliveries, the best of the aforementioned bracket of finishers in the two editions.

Best balls per six ratio at death in IPL 2023-24 (min. 250 runs)

Player
Bp6
Sixes

MS Dhoni
5.3
23

Heinrich Klaasen
6.3
21

Dinesh Karthik
6.4
22

Rinku Singh
6.5
25

Tim David
6.6
26

Nicholas Pooran
9.3
18

Ravindra Jadeja
11.3
14

That this improbable 40s resurgence has willed itself on the back of his two poorest IPL seasons between 2020-21 (112.5 strike rate), makes the Dhoni situation more than a mere summer stopover for CSK.Story continues below this ad
Dhoni’s first six in 2024 came off a lofted cover drive. (BCCI)
The pre-season legwork has gained Dhoni access to newer parts on the field while not losing sight of his trademark slogs. Dhoni has yet to be dismissed playing the cover drive at the death in the last two seasons, turning this uncommon off-side arc into one of his most productive zones. The shot has yielded him 40 runs in 16 balls – 250 strike rate – up from 152 between 2020-22, where he was dismissed thrice playing the stroke at a lowly 10.67 average.
Combined with his amped-up control rates (percentage of shots middled) on his on-side strokes  – the pull (56.76 to 70), on-drive (82.61 to 93.75), and flick (57.14 to 100) – Dhoni’s extended ‘V’ coverage has shrunk the error margins of deliveries to blurry pixels on the pitch.

Dhoni v pace in death overs
Runs
Balls
SR
Bdry %
Ave
Dismissals

IPL 2020-22
286
160
178.75
28.12
26
11

IPL 2023-24
219
99
221.21
34.34
43.8
5

One can’t fault the seamers for not trying. The 99 deliveries of pace that Dhoni has faced in the slog overs in ‘23-24 have been carted for 219 runs, 85.5 percent of his total yield. Scattered are the deliveries across the crisscrossing lines and lengths from wide outside off, to outside the off-stump and on the wickets, with no glaring plots to exploit, either for the lack of adequately accurate attempts on a particular mark or Dhoni’s sheer tenacity.
Deliveries on the stumps have relatively toned down his aggression (SR from: 211 to 168) in 23-24 as opposed to the preceding two years. Miss this specific line and you’re immediately shelling out 60-plus runs for every 100 deliveries. Dhoni’s restrained game against spin has also not been exploited enough with his late entry-points, for teams bear minimal options to assert overall control in the last-four with the tweakers.Story continues below this ad

Dhoni Strike Rate length (balls)

IPL 2020-22
IPL 2023-24

Yorker
150.0 (10)
58.3 (12)

Short Of Good Length
132.5 (40)
156.0 (25)

Short
214.8 (27)
214.3 (7)

Good Length
144.1 (34)
253.8 (13)

Full Toss
282.4 (17)
335.0 (20)

Full
190.3 (31)
263.6 (22)

Dhoni Strike Rate line (balls)

Wide of off-stump
Outside off-stump
On Stumps

IPL 2020-22
187.5 (16)
164.3 (98)
211.6 (43)

IPL 2023-24
233.3 (18)
231.8 (44)
168.8 (32)

Inch-perfect yorkers, 12 of them, have wound him to seven runs without a dismissal in the last two seasons. If the preparatory clips on social media are to go , Dhoni is even dusting up his old ‘Helicopter’, taking down Sri Lankan slingman Matheesha Pathirana at Chepauk.
44 in July, it will be an incredible three-peat if this semi-active cricketer pulls off the death-overs slogfest again. The pressure is still all the same at the bowling crease – hit or six!