Follow UsChennai had the perfect opportunity to return to the top of the Indian Premier League table. MS Dhoni won the toss, they were going to bat first, and Punjab Kings had never won a game at Chepauk in the last six years. It was a perfect opportunity to pile up the pressure and get two points.
Despite scoring 200 in the first innings, courtesy of a 52-ball 92 from Devon Conway, Dhoni felt that the Men in Yellow were 10-15 runs short of an ideal target.
And, the 41-year-old doesn’t say it because of the conditions but rather because of the lack of experience in their bowling unit. In the last five overs, Chennai managed to put 54 runs on the board, and arguably a little bit of steam when Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat.
Chennai were also guilty of a few bad overs in the middle phase of Punjab’s innings. In overs 16 and 17, Tushar Deshpande had conceded 24 runs before the experienced Jadeja conceded 17 runs against Sam Curran.
“We lost it in a couple of overs in the middle. You need to be aware what you need to bowl and be clear because the batters will be going for it. Also towards the end of our innings, we could have got 10-15 runs more. Because our bowling needs exposure, and we should be doing better with the bat,” said Dhoni at the post-match presentation.
While crediting the youngster, Matheesha Pathirana, Dhoni reckoned that there were a couple of bad overs in the middle, which ultimately was the difference between two points and no points for the side. The 41-year-old also insisted on thorough reflection for the bowlers, stating that they will have to figure out whether the plan was wrong or the execution.
“The pitch had turned, there was some turn when it hit the seam. The slower balls gripped. I think 200 was par but we bowled two bad overs. Pathirana bowled well but other than that, we need to see if the plans were wrong or the execution was bad.”
Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, was chuffed to bits with a win over the Super Kings, insisting that beating 'Chennai in Chennai' is a very big thing.
"It feels very very special. Beating Chennai in Chennai is a very big thing. Very very pleased and that shows the great character of our side, leaving that loss behind and coming up with a fresh mindset," Shikhar said.
Liam Livingstone played a crucial role for Punjab in the middle-overs, with a 24-ball 40, a knock that had four sixes that ultimately was a big difference. Dhawan credited the English all-rounder, saying that the franchise would want him to bat more overs in the middle.
"I was very happy with the way our bowlers bowled, we got them at the right score. They have been very consistent. As a captain we wanted them to play more overs, Liam has got his touch back and would want him to bat more overs. Good signs that all are playing well.