‘Batsmen let bowlers down’: MS Dhoni expresses disappointment after KKR beat CSK by 10 runs

MS Dhoni expresses disappointment: The captain of Chennai Super Kings was unhappy with how his batsmen played against the Knight Riders.

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has called for his batsmen needed to be more innovative after CSK failed to chase a 168-run target against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.

“Rotation of strike was important, but I think there were hardly any boundaries in the final few overs. So, we need to be innovative at the end when they are continuously hitting a back of a length. That’s where we need to adapt better with the bat and I don’t think we did that,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

A 69-run partnership between Shane Watson (50) and Ambati Rayudu (30) had set the tone for Chennai but the latter getting out to an uncalled for shot against Kolkata pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti commenced his team’s downfall.

This is a demoralising defeat for @ChennaiIPL. They had the game in their grasp but just can’t find someone in the middle order to take control.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 7, 2020

MS Dhoni expresses disappointment after KKR beat CSK by 10 runs

From needing 69 runs to win in eight overs with nine wickets in hand to 39 runs off 21 balls with six wickets, Super Kings’ middle-order not finding the boundaries worked against them.

“In the middle overs, there was a phase where they [KKR bowlers] bowled 2-3 good overs. If our batting was different during that period, the result would have been different,” Dhoni added.

Well who am I to question the tactics of @Bazmccullum and @DineshKarthik …. what a fine 10 over block in the back end of that match … fabulous bowling. Never seen @ChennaiIPL squeezed like that before 👏👏👏👏

— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) October 7, 2020

While Dhoni himself scored a mediocre 11 (12), CSK weren’t helped by Kedar Jadhav scoring 7* (12) at a crucial juncture.

Given how KKR captain Dinesh Karthik rotated his bowlers, Super Kings should have ideally made the most of the situation at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Barring Pat Cummins (4-0-25-0), all other bowlers from KKR picked a wicket each.

Having lost four out of the six matches that CSK have played so far, they’ve dropped to the fifth position on the points table. Knight Riders, one the other hand, are at the third position with three wins in their five matches till now.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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