The legendary MS Dhoni’s highly anticipated return as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain took a massive hit as Ajinkya Rahane’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) triumphed by 8 wickets in Match 25 of IPL 2025. The match took place at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) on April 11 (Friday), marking a tough night for CSK, who have now faced five consecutive losses. This defeat has severely dented their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, despite the tournament still being in its early stages.
Following the match, Dhoni opened up about the defeat, acknowledging that CSK failed to put enough runs on the board. Despite the setback, he continued to back his batting lineup, urging them to stick to their strengths and play their natural game. He also advised his team not to mimic other players’ styles but rather to focus on what they do best. Here’s what Dhoni had to say during the post-match presentation:
‘It has been quite a few nights that have not gone our way. The challenge has been there, we have to accept the challenge. Today I felt we did not have enough runs on the board. It has been the case over there, when we bowled in the 2nd innings it stopped a bit, today it did in the first innings. When you lose too many wickets, there is pressure and with quality spinners it is difficult. We never got any partnerships and a bit more partnerships, application, and we would be fine.’
Talking about the team’s batting performance, Dhoni mentioned the powerplay phase, where CSK only managed to score 31 runs, saying, ‘What is important is to see the conditions, a couple of games we have done decently well, back your strengths and play the shots you can play. Not match someone else’s play. Our openers are good openers, play authentic cricket shots, they don’t slog or look to hit across the line. It is important not to get desperate seeing the scorecard. If we start looking for 60 with our lineup it will be very difficult for us. Get partnerships going, maybe capitalise in the middle and later overs and if we lose wickets, the middle order has to do their job differently. And the slog will be delayed for quite a while.’
‘It is important not to get desperate seeing the scorecard. If we start looking for 60 with our lineup, it will be very difficult for us. Get partnerships going, maybe capitalise in the middle and later overs.’
CSK’s batting collapse was evident as they posted their lowest-ever score at Chepauk in IPL history. The Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers were spot on from the get-go, with Sunil Narine picking up 3 wickets for just 13 runs in his 4 overs. The CSK batters crumbled under pressure, scoring only 103 runs in 20 overs, with nine wickets falling. Moeen Ali, a former CSK player, struck early to dismiss Devon Conway, and from there, the collapse continued. By the 15th over, CSK were reduced to 71 for 6. In fact, CSK went 63 balls without hitting a boundary after the 8th over and failed to hit a six in the powerplay. At one point, they were on track to post their lowest-ever IPL total, but Shivam Dube’s 31 provided some resistance.
On the other hand, KKR’s chase was a stark contrast to CSK’s batting performance. Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine blasted 46 runs in the first 4 overs. Though CSK picked up a breakthrough with Anshul Kamboj removing de Kock for 23 runs in the fifth over, Narine kept attacking. He smashed 44 runs off just 18 balls before being dismissed by Noor Ahmad in the 8th over. By this time, KKR had already scored 85 runs, and with only 19 more needed, Rahane and Rinku Singh completed the chase in just 59 balls, ensuring an easy win for KKR.
