Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni addressed the team’s dismal batting display after yet another heavy loss in their IPL 2025 match on Friday at Chepauk. CSK managed just 31 runs during the powerplay against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Dhoni remarked that the team shouldn’t be chasing 60 runs in the first six overs.
After opting to bowl first, CSK made some inroads with regular wickets, but their batting unit failed to deliver. Only four players reached double digits, and the team could muster just 103/9 in 20 overs. KKR comfortably chased the target, winning by eight wickets with 59 balls to spare.
At the post-match presentation, Dhoni — who was dismissed for 1 off 4 balls — noted that the CSK lineup consists of batters who stick to classical strokes, hinting that their strategy revolves around dragging the game deep rather than going all-out early.
“Our openers are good openers, play authentic cricket shots, they don’t slog or look to hit across the line. It is important not to get desperate seeing the scorecard. If we start looking for 60 (in powerplay) with our lineup, it will be very difficult for us.”
“Get partnerships going, maybe capitalise in the middle and later overs and if we lose wickets, the middle order has to do their job differently. And the slog will be delayed for quite a while.”
On a sluggish pitch, Kolkata’s spinners performed effectively, with Moeen Ali setting the tone by delivering a maiden over and dismissing Devon Conway. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy combined to claim five wickets between them.
“We didn’t put up a competitive total”: MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni expressed disappointment over the absence of solid partnerships on the challenging pitch, acknowledging that Kolkata’s skilled spinners made the most of the conditions. He further stated:
“It has been quite a few nights that has not gone our way. The challenge has been there, we have to accept the challenge. Today I felt we did not have enough runs on the board. It has been the case over there, when we bowled in the 2nd innings it stopped a bit, today it did in the first innings.”
“When you lose too many wickets, there is pressure and with quality spinners it is difficult. We never got any partnerships and bit more partnerships, application and we would be fine.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
