MS Dhoni Disatisfied With CSK Batting Post SRH Defeat in IPL 2025
CSK skipper MS Dhoni conveyed intense discontent at his team's batting effort in their five-wicket defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 25, 2025. Notwithstanding a resilient 42-run debut by Dewald Brevis, CSK's score of 154 fell short. Dhoni faulted the batters for lacking accountability, adding that the batting effort of the side was "not justifiable" and lacked grit. This loss is CSK's seventh in as many as nine games and leaves their playoff aspirations hanging by a thread.
During IPL 2025, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) tasted another harrowing loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), their seventh defeat in nine matches. In the post-match show, MS Dhoni showed no hesitation in venting his anger with the team's poor performance, especially batting. The loss placed CSK on the brink of elimination from the tournament, and Dhoni was not afraid to direct fingers at the batting failure of the team.
The game witnessed CSK make some alterations to the team in a bid to change the course of things. Dewald Brevis and Deepak Hooda were added to the team, while Rachin Ravindra was excluded. Yet, with all the alterations made, the team could not make a better beginning. Shaik Rasheed got out on the first ball of the game, and this early loss set the tone for the rest of the game.
Dhoni was not mincing words after the game as he had words of criticism for his batters for their non-performance. He added that the pitch wasn't a big problem, and the team's 155 total score was inadequate. He stated that yes, the pitch did get a bit tricky towards the 8th or 10th over, but that was not something that the team could not handle. In his opinion, the batters could have pushed for additional runs, but they did not do so.
Even with the collapse, there was a moment of stability offered by debutant Dewald Brevis, who made a rapid 42 runs off 25 balls. Nevertheless, Dhoni believed that except for Brevis, the other batters could not get into rhythm or form partnerships. He admitted that Brevis had been in good form, particularly against the spinners, something that CSK had been weak at this season. Dhoni noted that the team had not been able to score regularly against spinners, which had been one of the biggest weaknesses of the team during the middle overs.
Despite CSK's spinners trying hard and keeping the team in the match for a long time, Dhoni clearly stated that in the absence of sufficient runs on the board, all their attempts were insufficient to ensure victory. He insisted that in a competition such as IPL, if you have one or two not-performing players, you can tweak. But when the majority of the team is not playing, it becomes hard to win irrespective of how many times you shift the line-up. Dhoni conceded that if several players are not coming good, shifts are unavoidable.
He also mentioned the evolving nature of the game, emphasizing that the conditions should be evaluated rightly in order to make realistic goals. Though it's not always mandatory to target scores between 180-200, the team has to learn to adjust and register competitive scores. Dhoni ended by stating that CSK's present batting woes were a major concern, and unless this was rectified, the team would not be able to change things around.
This loss put CSK in a vulnerable position in IPL 2025, and their playoff hopes grew thinner with each defeat. Dhoni was visibly frustrated, and it's apparent that CSK's batting department needs to be overhauled if they are to save their season.
