MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have now lost four games at the Chepauk. After their recent loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), they became the fourth team to breach the fortress after RCB, DC and KKR.
SRH beat CSK by five wickets as they chased down 155 runs needed for victory with 8 balls remaining. CSK, in the process, have lost their seventh game of the season and are almost on the brink of elimination.
Even if CSK wins all their remaining five games, they will get to 14 points, which might not be enough to take them to the playoffs.
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Chennai's batting capitulated once again as they lost wickets at regular intervals starting from the very first over. Ayush Mhatre (30 runs off 21 balls), Dewald Brevis (42 runs off 25 balls), and Deepak Hooda (22 runs off 21 balls) were the top three scorers for CSK in the match. MS Dhoni walked out to bat as low as number eight and scored just six runs off 10 balls. The CSK innings gathered no momentum due to regular loss of wickets.
For SRH, Harshal Patel picked up four wickets for 28 runs. Pat Cummins (2 wickets for 21 runs) and Jaydev Unadkat (2 wickets for 21 runs) also played their part. It was a complete bowling effort that helped SRH win their very first game against CSK at the Chepauk.
157 Wasn't A Justifiable Score: MS Dhoni
In the post-match presentation, MS Dhoni spoke about the reasons why his team went down against SRH. He said that the regular loss of wickets did not help, and he admitted that the pitch got better to bat in the second innings.
“I think we kept losing wickets and another thing is in the first innings the wicket was slightly better and 157 wasn’t a justifiable score. It wasn’t turning a lot, a little two-paced but nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, second innings there was a bit of help. Our spinners, the quality was there and they were bowling in the right areas, but we were 15-20 runs short," MS Dhoni said after the loss.
Also Read:Â IPL 2025 Match 43 CSK vs SRH Highlights: Ayush Mhatre sizzles but SRH bounce back with three wickets
Dhoni further said that the team has not been doing well this season, as the majority of the players are not performing consistently. He said too many players not performing at the same time did not help the cause for CSK throughout the season.
“In a tournament like this, if you have one or two areas where you can plug in the holes it is good, but if majority of your players are not doing well, it becomes very difficult. Because you have to do a few changes, but if majority are doing well then you give those guys that extra few games and if it doesn’t work out than you move onto the next one. But if 4 of them are not performing at the same time, you are bound to make that change, because you can’t just keep on going. Because we are not putting enough runs on the board, because it is essential right now, the game has changed. I am not saying it is always 180-200, but assess the conditions and then look to put the runs on the board," MSD concluded saying.
CSK's chance of making the IPL 2025 playoffs is hanging by a thread from here on, as many things need to go in their favor besides just winning games. CSK takes on PBKS in their next match on April 30.
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