Chennai Super Kings took on Delhi Capitals in Dubai in the 7th game of the season. Delhi dominated the game completely and Chennai once again had a poor outing. The teams have been winning the games by batting first. But keeping all that aside, MS Dhoni decided to bowl first after winning the toss.
The DC openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw started off on a positive note. Shaw was brilliant in his attacking strokes and provided a great platform. The duo added 94 runs for the first wicket before Dhawan got out for 35 in the 11th over. Shaw departed soon after scoring 64.
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer carried the innings forward as CSK put the brakes on the scoring. But courtesy of some late hitting, the score reached a competitive 175/3. The score could have reached near 200 but the pitch seemed to have slowed down
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CSK needed a good start in the chase but they had the exact opposite. It was first Shane Watson and then Murali Vijay who got out without scoring too many. Ruturaj Gaikwad batted ahead of MS Dhoni. But there was a lack of intent in the chase. Just like the last game, the required run rate kept climbing and when Dhoni walked out to bat, there were far too many runs to get. Dhoni and Faf du Plessis tried but in the end, CSK fell short by 44 runs
What went wrong for CSK
There is not one thing that went wrong, rather a number of things that didn’t work for them. First, the injuries have been haunting them. Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu missed out again due to injuries. The openers consumed far too many deliveries in the beginning and their strike rate was below 100.
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One of the biggest factors why CSK had been so successful over the years was Suresh Raina. Raina was superb in the chases and kept the momentum going throughout. No one has played that role in the last two defeats. Rayudu did that in the first game and they were successful in the chase against Mumbai Indians.
Another reason for CSK’s success has been the spinners. This year, the spinners haven’t been effective. Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla are giving away plenty of runs and not picking up the crucial wickets. The franchise needs to slot in Imran Tahir as he is a wicket-taker. He brings in heaps of experience. Does anyone remember he was the Purple Cap winner last year? Perhaps CSK needs to be reminded of that.
Lastly, there has been plenty of debate over Dhoni’s batting position. Many believe he should bat up the order and currently, he is batting too far down the order to make an impact in the chase. Remember, he is not the Dhoni of the past. He no longer possesses the batting prowess like he used to in 2015. So, it’s not just him to be blamed for the failures. There are 10 others in the team who need to contribute.
