Top 5 smartest decisions taken in IPL history

3. MS Dhoni places long off and mid off in the same line to dismiss Kieron Pollard

MS Dhoni is a phenomenon. He is always one step ahead of the opposition and is always on the lookout for opportunities to plot the downfall of the opposition. In the 2010 IPL final against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Dhoni unveiled a masterstroke that led to the downfall of Kieron Pollard.

Let us do a little background check of the entire match to fully understand the impact of Dhoni’s decision. In the summit clash, the Chennai side batted first and posted a competitive total of 168/5 on the board. Suresh Raina led Chennai’s charge with the willow and scored a 35-ball 57*.

In reply, batting icon Sachin Tendulkar stood up for the Mumbai Indians. Even though wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Tendulkar held the innings together and scored a sedate 48. Even after the dismissal of Tendulkar, the Chennai side had to see the back of one man to win the match. Kieron Pollard is always a threat to the opposition, and he decimated the Chennai bowling attack in the 2010 IPL final.

The equation for the Mumbai side boiled down to 55 runs needed off the last three overs. And, that is when Pollard went berserk. The big West Indian batsman smashed Doug Bollinger for 22 runs in the 18th over to keep the hopes of the Mumbai side alive.

That brought the equation down to 33 needed off the last two overs. Off the third ball of the 19th over bowled by Albie Morkel, Pollard smashed another boundary. And, this was when Dhoni put on his thinking cap. The CSK skipper placed a fielder at mid-off, even though the fielder at long off was already there, and both men were standing in a straight line.

One delivery later, Pollard hit the ball exactly to the fielder placed at mid-off by Dhoni. The move had worked! After Pollard’s dismissal, the hopes of the Mumbai side fizzled out, and they lost the match by 22 runs.