MS Dhoni has said that CSK need “a bit more partnerships, a bit more runs” and “a bit more application” to get turn around a dwindling season.
MS Dhoni’s return as captain couldn’t break Chennai Super Kings out of their nosedive as they suffered an eight-wicket hiding at home to Kolkata Knight Riders and thus fell to a fifth consecutive defeat in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Never before have CSK lost these many matches in a row and the defeat on Friday also made it the first time the five-time champions lost three consecutive games at home.
Dhoni in his post-match comments urged his teammates to “look deep down inside”.
“I think it’s quite a few nights haven’t gone our way,” Dhoni told the broadcaster after the loss. “What’s important is to look deep down inside. I feel the challenge was there, but it’s important to accept that challenge, figure out ways how you’ll tackle the difficult deliveries and then look to get runs on the board. Today I felt we didn’t really have enough runs on the board.”
Dhoni didn’t have too many problems with the conditions on offer at the Chepauk Stadium and said that it is the lack of partnerships that hurt them. “Yes it did [stop] but it has been the case over here,” Dhoni said about the surface. “Whenever we bowled first, even in the second innings it stopped a bit. But today in the first innings also it was stopping. But also if you lose too many wickets, it looks very different because it puts pressure on the batsman who is going in, and with quality spinners it becomes slightly difficult and we never really got any kind of partnerships going. So that also makes it tough. I feel overall a bit more partnerships, a bit more runs, a bit more application and we’ll be on track.”
‘If we target 60 in powerplay, it gets tough’
CSK have been easily the worst team this season in terms of batting in the powerplay. On Friday, they were limping at 18/2 at the start of the sixth over. Dhoni stated that CSK will still be trying to score as many runs as they think is required and possible according to the conditions on offer.
“[Powerplay batting] It is important to see the conditions. A couple of conditions where we have done well. We don’t want to match somebody else or some other team. We have quality openers and it is important not to get desperate seeing the scoreboard. A few boundaries and the score keeps moving, if we target 60, it gets tough. If we lose wickets, the middle order needs do heavy-lifting and the slog never comes,” said Dhoni.
