IPL 2023: Moeen Ali always been the go to man for MS Dhoni, says AB de Villiers

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore star batter AB de Villiers said Moeen Ali has always been the man Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni look to when the team is under pressure.

All-rounder Moeen (4-0-26-4) did the star turn as CSK defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs in a high-scoring match of the 2023 TATA IPL at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday (April 3) night.

Chasing a huge target of 218, LSG, who got off the blocks in a hurry, finished proceedings on 205/7. Ali was well supported by Mitchell Santner who took 1/21 in 4 overs.

Earlier, the hosts had put up 217/7 thanks mainly to the exploits of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed 57 (31b, 3x4, 4x6), his second half-century in two games. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi emerged the best bowler for LSG returning with figures of 3/28.

In reply, the visitors got off to a strong start putting on 79 in 5.2 overs before opener Kyle Mayers was out for a whirlwind 53 off only 22 balls to Ali.

Ali, the vastly experienced English all-rounder, then went on to account for skipper KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis, too, ensuring CSK never lost a grip of the contest.

After the match, JioCinema IPL expert De Villiers complimented the English spinner by highlighting how the CSK skipper Dhoni relies on Ali's wicket-taking ability.

"He's always Dhoni's first pick of man to go and pick up wickets under pressure. I thought he should've bowled a little earlier but MS the master and the guru, he always knows better," De Villiers said.

Another JioCinema IPL expert and former Chennai Super Kings superstar Suresh Raina also praised Ali's match-winning ability, highlighting the importance of LSG captain KL Rahul.

"Whenever he bowls, he keeps the ball away from the batter and Mahi bhai knows this because KL Rahul is an important player for India and an important player in the IPL who has scored 600 runs before," Raina said.

Also during the match, CSK skipper MS Dhoni crossed the 5000-run mark in the IPL with two magnificently struck sixes off the bowling of speedster Mark Woods, which came in for praise from Robin Uthappa, another JioCinema IPL expert.

"The fastest bowler in the world is bowling to him from the front and at the age of 41, don't forget, at that age on the second delivery at a pace of 145-147 (kmh), hitting a six down square leg isn't easy, especially on one leg," Uthappa said.

Mayers also scored his second consecutive half-century to stay in the hunt for the Orange Cap. Mayers scored the second fastest fifty in IPL 2023 so far. De Villiers spoke about Mayers' technique.

"He puts his backfoot down and that is an anchor for his shots, whether backfoot or front foot. He almost flinches with his front foot a bit, just gets those toes and that gives him a great base to hit the ball anywhere in the park. When he's standing, his head is nice and upright, the technique is there, and the strokes are magical."