5 bowlers who have dismissed MS Dhoni most times in IPL

5 bowlers who have dismissed MS Dhoni most times in IPL

Pragyan Ojha, MS Dhoni and Shane Watson

MS Dhoni is one of the best the game has ever seen. The former Indian skipper’s firepower and tactical genius are second to none, and that is what sets him apart from the rest. Dhoni hung his boots in international cricket last year but continues to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Dhoni has led the Chennai Super Kings to three IPL titles and is one of the few batsmen to have mustered over 4,500 IPL runs while smashing over 200 sixes in the tournament’s history. The wicket-keeper batsman is a maestro when it comes to chasing and has the ability to turn the game in a span of few deliveries.

Bowling to MS Dhoni in the shortest format is hailed as one of the toughest jobs by even the best bowlers going around. His explosive power and unique ability to read the game makes him a tricky customer. It is no surprise that bowlers have struggled to get his wicket in the IPL.

Let’s take a look at the five bowlers who have managed to get Dhoni the most number of times in the IPL.

Bowlers who have dismissed MS Dhoni most times in IPL

5. Shane Watson (3 times)

Shane Watson
Shane Watson

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was one of the best to feature in the IPL. Watson first dismissed Dhoni in 2010 at MA Chidambaram Stadium. It took him six more years to pick up Dhoni’s wicket again as he sent the Rising Pune Supergiant skipper back to the dressing room in an IPL 2016 league match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The following season, Watson rattled Dhoni’s stumps at the same venue before joining him at CSK in 2018.

4. Kieron Pollard (3 times)

Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard

Another all-rounder who troubled MS Dhoni in the cash-rich league is Kieron Pollard. The Mumbai Indians star dismissed Dhoni for the first time in his debut season in 2010. He accomplished the feat once again in 2011 and then in 2015. It has been seven since Pollard last picked up the CSK skipper’s wicket. It will be interesting to see how the battle turns out in the UAE as the second leg gets underway.

3. Jsprit Bumrah (3 times)

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah

Another MI sensation, Jasprit Bumrah, has had the better of Dhoni in the IPL. Bumrah picked up Dhoni’s wicket for the first time in 2016 at the MCA Stadium. The following year, Bumrah dismissed Dhoni twice, including once in the IPL final. Interestingly, all the three-time Bumrah dismissed Dhoni, he was sporting the RPS jersey. The CSK skipper is yet to be dismissed by Bumrah in yellow and their face-off in UAE is all set to be a mouth-watering clash.

2. Pragyan Ojha (6 times)

Pragyan Ojha Deccan Chargers IPL
Pragyan Ojha

Pragyan Ojha is the only spinner to have dismissed MS Dhoni more than twice in the IPL. Ojha featured in 15 matches against CSK, where he scalped 21 wickets, of which six were of the CSK skipper Dhoni. Dhoni was caught out four times, stumped once and bowled once-off Ojha’s deliveries. No other spinner has dismissed Dhoni more than twice and the former Indian skipper would like it to be that way as he writes the final chapters of his career.

1. Zaheer Khan (7 times)

Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan

Atop the list is former Indian pace spearhead, Zaheer Khan. The left-arm quick was a canny operator till the final game of his cricketing career, one who was feared around the globe for his ability to swing the ball. Zaheer came face-to-face with MS Dhoni in 13 IPL innings dismissing him a whopping seven times. Notably, all seven dismissals were caught out, with one of them being caught behind by the wicketkeeper.

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