It is an unusual situation for Super Kings of Chennai to be inside. Midway through their IPL campaign, Dhoni and Co. are second to last at the bottom with four points.
It is a situation that they would like to improve when faced with Hyderabad sunrises at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday night. But for that to happen, they will have to plug the “many holes in the boat” that Dhoni referred to after his 37-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
TABLE OF POINTS IPL 2020
A listless hitting that lacked intention or the weight generally associated with the three-time champions, who allowed themselves to take the game deep and emerged from impossible situations in the past, is the cause of CSK’s desperation this season.
Except for the match against Kings XI Punjab, when Shane watson and Faf du Plessis got a glimpse into their powerful past, and in the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians to some extent, the Super Kings have been weakened by mounting pressure from rival hitters like virat Kohli, or he lacked the drive to pursue goals (Dhoni chose to line up all three times he won the draw) and has yet to defend a total this season.
It is a situation that they would like to improve when faced with Hyderabad sunrises at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday night. But for that to happen, they will have to plug the “many holes in the boat” that Dhoni referred to after his 37-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
TABLE OF POINTS IPL 2020
A listless hitting that lacked intention or the weight generally associated with the three-time champions, who allowed themselves to take the game deep and emerged from impossible situations in the past, is the cause of CSK’s desperation this season.
Except for the match against Kings XI Punjab, when Shane watson and Faf du Plessis got a glimpse into their powerful past, and in the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians to some extent, the Super Kings have been weakened by mounting pressure from rival hitters like virat Kohli, or he lacked the drive to pursue goals (Dhoni chose to line up all three times he won the draw) and has yet to defend a total this season.
The seven-run loss to the Sunrisers in the first leg is one of CSK’s five losses with the youth making the difference in that game. Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma came to light when SRH’s bigwigs faltered, a trend that continues in the tournament with players like Ryan Parag and Rahul Tewatia doing it for Rajasthan Royals.
The brief rotation after the five-wicket loss to the Royals on Sunday means SRH will have to act much faster. SRH seemed to be in control until the 15th before the RR duo switched gears. Rashid Khan’s 17th runs at 17 more than tipped the balance for the Royals.
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