Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Despite their position at the bottom of the points table, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni remains hopeful that his team can still make a late push for the IPL 2025 playoffs. After CSK suffered a heavy nine-wicket loss to arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI), Dhoni emphasized a pragmatic approach—one that not only keeps hopes alive for this season but also builds a stable team for the future.
The defeat at Wankhede Stadium marked CSK’s sixth in eight matches, leaving them with just four points and a negative net run rate of -1.392. While the road to the top four is steep, Dhoni insisted that they are taking things step by step.
“What we need to realise is that we are successful because we play good cricket, and at the same time, when we are not playing good cricket, what is important is not to get too emotional about it, and at the same time, you want to be practical,” Dhoni said after the match.
CSK’s dominance this season has been underwhelming, especially evident during their latest outing, where MI chased down a target of 177 runs in just 15.4 overs, courtesy of explosive knocks from Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
Dhoni acknowledged the possibility of missing the playoffs and spoke about preparing for next year.
“Other than that, we are just trying to plug in the holes. With all the games that are in front of us that we are supposed to win, we just take it one game at a time, and if we lose a few, what will be important for us is to get the right combination for next year. You don’t want too many players getting changed. What will be important is to try and qualify, but if not, get a secured 11 for next year and come back strong,” he added.
Mhatre’s Spark Amidst CSK’s Struggles
In an otherwise forgettable outing for CSK, debutant Ayush Mhatre provided a glimpse of hope. The young batter from Mumbai made a statement with a fiery 32 off just 15 balls, helping CSK gain momentum in the powerplay.
He took on Mumbai’s Ashwani Kumar and Deepak Chahar, showcasing bold shot selection and fearlessness.
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“I think as a youngster (Ayush Mhatre) he batted really well, and that’s the kind of approach that is needed where you play your shots, and at the same time you pick your shots that is your strength, and I feel right from the start, he went and played his shots, and we also haven’t seen him much. So, it is a good sign for us at the top of the order that if he can keep playing the shots, it will become slightly easier for the middle and lower order,” Dhoni noted.
Following Mhatre’s dismissal, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja powered the innings forward with blistering half-centuries. Dube, in particular, was proactive before he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in the 17th over.
Dhoni attempted to add some late acceleration but admitted that CSK missed their timing when it came to launching a late assault.
“I think we were quite below because we all knew that dew would come in the second half, and we were in a position to exploit the middle overs, and I just felt that Bumrah being one of the best death bowlers in the world right now, I felt once they started their death bowling early, that was the time we should have capitalised and started our slog slightly early, and after that even Bumrah also goes for runs it’s a plus point, I think there were a few overs there we could have got slightly more runs. We needed those runs because 175 with the dew around is not a par score,” he explained.
CSK ended at 176/5, a total MI chased down with relative ease. With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, CSK now needs to win their remaining fixtures and hope for favorable results elsewhere.