IPL 9: Dhoni's last-ball six helps Rising Pune Supergiants beat Kings XI Punjab

VisakhapatnamSkipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni singlehandedly scripted Rising Pune Supergiants facesaving fourwicket win over Kings XI Punjab with a lastball six to help them avoid a lastplace finish in the Indian Premier League here todayRising Pune Supergiants captain and batsman MS Dhoni hits a six while Kings XI Punjab wicket keeper Wriddhiman Saha looks on during the 2016 Indian Premier League IPL Twenty20 cricket match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACAVDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on May 21 2016 PicAFPSkipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni singlehandedly scripted Rising Pune Supergiants facesaving fourwicket win over Kings XI Punjab with a lastball six to help them avoid a lastplace finish in the Indian Premier League here todayChasing 173 Pune never looked in contention but Dhoni played the lone ranger with an unbeaten 32ball 64 to secure an improbable win for the debutantsPune looked down and out at 86 for five in the 14th over before Dhoni brought out his best and smashed five sixes and four boundariesNeeding 23 runs in the last over Dhoni struck three sixes and a four In the last ball of the match RPS required six for victory and the captain lofted one over the midwicket boundaryHowever for Dhoni who had successfully led Chennai Super Kings in the previous editions of the tournament mostly finishing in top four besides winning the title twice this has been his most disappointing campaignEarlier Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with a fourwicket haul to restrict KXIP to 172 for seven in the allotted 20 oversCaptain Murali Vijay and Gurkeerat Mann hit fine halfcenturies to take the team to a competitive totalThe loss has pushed KXIP to the bottom of the heap with just eight points from 14 gamesOpting to bat Vijay led from the front scoring a 41ball 59 that included four hits to the fence and three sixes He also shared a valuable opening partnership of 60 runs with Hashim Amla 30Ashwin got the breakthrough for Pune when he dismissed Amla and in the very next over wicketkeeperbatsman Wriddhiman Saha 3 was also sent back to the dressing room with Adam Zampa doing the damageBut Vijay and Gurkeerat played with responsibility to steady the boat The duo put on a 58run stand for the third wicket before the skipper fell to AshwinAshwin further tighten the noose by dismissing Gurkeerat and new batsman David Miller in his next overNone of the lowerorder batsmen reached the double figures with Miller concluding a miserable tournament with another failureAshwin was the pick of the bowlers for RPS with figures of four for 34 from four oversThe Pune outfit faltered in the chase slumping to 86 for five in 132 oversWickets kept tumbling at regular intervals even as opener Usman Khawaja chipped in with a valuable 30Dhoni who did not have a very successful batting stint during the tournament came up with his best in the last game He not only managed to consolidate the innings but gave a glimpse of his old self while playing those big shotsIt was a fantastic game If we were alive this is the kind of game you wanted to win to get into the knockouts said Dhoni at the postmatch presentation ceremonyIn the able company of Thisara Perera Dhoni put on a crucial 58run stand for the sixth wicket to take the team to 144 for six and keep Punes chances in the match alivePereras dismissal in the 19th over after a patient 23 off 14 balls seemed to have closed the door on the debutant team but Dhoni kept his cool and knocked off the 23 runs in the last overSumming up the teams performance in the ninth edition of the IPL Dhoni said Looking back we started well and ended well We were never completely outplayed which gives us the confidence that we can do better next year We have to lift our game slightly which will have an impact on our team Right from the start bowling was one department where we were worried When we have started well with the new ball the spinners have done well Otherwise they have struggled Overall there were glimpses of some very good talent We dont have the luxury of having outstanding players on the bench but this is still a very good team How we change our game according to our demands is important so adaptability is the key