Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni admitted that they didn’t bowl well against Punjab Kings after suffering a four-wicket loss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. CSK posted a par score of 200 runs on the board after a fine batting effort from Devon Conway.
The New Zealander continued his good form in the tournament as he scored 92 runs from 52 balls. The left-hander smashed 16 fours and one six in his blistering knock. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 37 runs and added another fine alliance of 86 runs with Conway.
Shivam Dube, promoted to number three in place of Ajinkya Rahane, scored 28 runs for CSK. Furthermore, MS Dhoni added the finishing touches with a little cameo of 4-ball 13.
On the other hand, barring Ravindra Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana, all the CSK bowlers took a beating. Both of these bowlers conceded 32 runs each in their four overs spell but the rest could not stem the flow of runs.
In fact, 22 runs were needed off the final two overs and Sikandar Raza was able to add the finishing touches. After Jitesh Sharma scored a crucial cameo of 10-ball 21, Sikandar Raza scored 13 runs from seven balls. Three runs were needed when the Zimbabwean was able to find the gap over square-leg fielder.
MS Dhoni said in the post-match presentation, “We need to be prepared as to what is to be done. The last few overs when we were batting, we could have gotten 10-15 more. Our bowling needed some cushion. The slower one did grip. Our batters have been putting runs consistently. I think 200 was par but we bowled two bad overs.”
He added, “We know the conditions well. We didn’t bowl well. You didn’t want to get hit to that side. You need to see what is the problem. The execution or the plan. Pathirana bowled really well. The first six overs we can do better. What lines to bowl.”
Chennai Super Kings would have been disappointed with their bowling effort as they had got enough runs on the board. The fast bowling department has been a worry for CSK and they will be looking to tick the right boxes.
CSK will next face Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Wednesday.
