One of the most successful and consistent teams in Indian Premier League history, Chennai Super Kings, appeared to have given up hope of turning around their current season after their seventh loss in 10 matches on Monday.
Led by former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai has made the playoffs in every edition it has played in the Twenty20 tournament, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The team, which was suspended for two years due to an illegal gambling scandal, has lifted the trophy three times and reached the final five times.
But with four league stage games remaining, Chennai is at the bottom of the table and has very little hope of making the playoffs.
The team has been criticized for continuing with its older players despite the losing streak, but that could change for the rest of the tournament.
“This season, we really weren’t there,” said Dhoni, 39, who played his 200th IPL game on Monday, during the presentation following his team’s seven-field beating by the Rajasthan Royals of Steve. Smith.
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“There were some opportunities for the youngsters and maybe we didn’t see the kind of spark that they could have given us to say, okay, push (out) the seasoned guy and maybe make some room for them.
“Today the result, what it really does is give those guys what’s left in our league stages, they’ll have a chance and they won’t have any real pressure on them. They can come out and express themselves.”
Chennai did not have an ideal preseason when many people in their touring group tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in the UAE, and experienced players such as Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh withdrew for personal reasons.
“It’s fair to say looking at the table now that this team may have run out of juice,” Chennai coach Stephen Fleming said, adding that the mood at camp was “pretty low.”
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