After the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a tough nine-wicket loss to their long-time rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium, their captain MS Dhoni shared some candid thoughts about the team’s future. He indicated that if CSK doesn’t turn things around and qualify for the playoffs this year, they’ll start thinking about team combinations for IPL 2026. The loss on April 20 was particularly tough, with CSK finding themselves at the bottom of the 2025 IPL points table. They came into the match with only four points from eight games, and it’s clear they need to win all of their remaining six matches to even have a shot at making the top four.
The struggles the team showed in this match were concerning. With just 176 runs on a pitch that’s usually favorable for batting, they allowed MI to reach the target in just 16 overs. It’s hard to imagine a turnaround that would get them back in the race for the playoffs given these issues. Dhoni said, We need to see if we are playing the right form of cricket, trying to put the right amount of runs on the board. He noted that dropping a few catches didn’t help their cause, and emphasized the need to work on plugging the gaps in their game. Take one game at a time. We’ll also need to start thinking about the combinations for next season if we don’t qualify, Dhoni added.
This match marked one of CSK’s most disappointing defeats in recent times, making it even more notable since it was their first loss to MI since 2022. The batting lineup seemed off, and it was particularly evident when Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja, who were the top scorers, struggled to maintain a strike rate above 150. On the bowling side, Jadeja was the only bowler to take a wicket in the second half.
Dhoni reflected on the team’s performance, stating, We were quite below par. He anticipated that the dew would affect the game in the second half and pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best bowlers in the death overs, started his work early in the innings. He felt that CSK should have begun their aggressive batting sooner. We should have capitalized on our opportunities and scored those runs, he said.
He also praised MI’s player Mhatre for his smart batting, noting that he played his shots well and that they haven’t seen much of him before. Dhoni mentioned that the pitch had some tricky conditions, with the odd ball gripping, and MI handled the spin bowling effectively. “We never had a par score,” he explained, adding that giving away too many runs early on made it challenging to establish a rhythm. “If you give away too many in the first six overs, it complicates things,” he said.
In closing, Dhoni reflected on the essence of their success, noting that they have been a good team because they play good cricket. But he cautioned not to let emotions take over, emphasizing the need for a clear head moving forward.
