Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni reflected on his team’s performance after they were bowled out for 154, leading to a five-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday. This marked CSK’s seventh loss in nine games in the 2025 IPL season and their first home defeat to SRH.
CSK seemed poised for a higher total, reaching 114 for four in the 13th over. However, a collapse saw them lose six wickets for just 40 runs. Dhoni admitted, “I think we kept losing wickets… 155 [154] is not a justifiable score because it wasn’t turning a lot.” He highlighted that the pitch turned two-paced later, but nothing that was extraordinary, suggesting CSK could have run slightly better and added more runs.
In what little comfort there was for CSK, Dewald Brevis, playing his first game as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh, showed promise. He top-scored with a vigorous 42 from 25 balls, including four sixes. Reflecting on Brevis’s performance, Dhoni noted, “I think he batted really well, and we need something like that in the middle order.”
Dhoni also acknowledged a recurring issue for CSK—their struggle against spin bowling. “Where we have slightly struggled is when the spinners come in… we have not been able to dominate or get runs against the spinners at a good pace in the middle,” he remarked, stressing the importance of improving in these middle overs for garnering crucial runs.
The loss leaves CSK at the bottom of the table with just four points. They have now lost four out of their five home games this season. Looking ahead, CSK’s next match is also at Chepauk against Punjab Kings on April 30, with CSK aiming to overturn their earlier defeat to Punjab by 18 runs.
