Chennai Super Kings’ newest spin sensation Noor Ahmad credited his success to having MS Dhoni behind the stumps after another impressive performance in the ongoing IPL 2025.
On a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers, Noor once again showcased his class, justifying his growing reputation in the T20 circuit with a brilliant spell. The left-arm wrist spinner picked up three crucial wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first innings, playing a key role in restricting a powerful RCB batting lineup to 196/7.
Given the responsibility of bowling with the new ball, Noor struck in his first over with the crucial wicket of Phil Salt, who was looking dangerous after scoring quick runs. That breakthrough came at a pivotal moment for CSK. Noor bowled a googly, tempting Salt to play it over the cover region, but he ended up playing all around it.
Dhoni-Noor combo working well for CSK
The moment he missed, he was caught out of his crease, and before he could bring his feet back, the ever-reliable Dhoni quickly stumped him. As soon as he completed the stumping, Dhoni signaled that it was a close call. The replay confirmed that Salt’s feet were in the air for a few seconds — just enough time for Dhoni to get him out.
“I feel lucky to have him (Dhoni) behind the stumps,” Noor Ahmad told the broadcasters during the mid-innings break.
Noor went on to pick two more wickets, Virat Kohli and Liam Livingstone, but the most talked about dismissal remained that of Salt. It was the second time in this IPL season that Noor deceived a batter with a googly, allowing Dhoni to complete a lightning-fast stumping. More of this is expected to follow as Noor continues to make an impact with the ball while Dhoni keeps doing what he has done so brilliantly since the start of the IPL.