Follow UsFollowing a four-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Chepauk on April 30 (Wednesday), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) became the first team to get knocked out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. CSK captain MS Dhoni said their fielding once again let them down, and they were slightly below-par with the bat in the first innings.
Matheesha Pathirana dropped a simple catch of Prabhsimran Singh. CSK have dropped 19 catches and have a catching efficiency of 65.5 - the second-worst in the IPL 2025. In the first innings, Sam Curran slammed 88 off 47 deliveries and put on 76 runs for the fourth wicket alongside Dewald Brevis (32 off 26).
Apart from these two, the other CSK batters didn’t contribute much. Chennai lost six wickets in their last 15 deliveries and were bowled out with four balls to spare. “I think the batting - yes, it was the first time we put enough runs on the board. But was it a par score? I feel slightly short. Yes, a bit demanding from the batters but I feel we could've got slightly more. I feel we need to take our catches,” said Dhoni, who hit 11 off four deliveries.
Talking about the Curran-Brevis partnership, MSD added: “The partnership between Brevis and Sam was excellent. We didn't play the last four deliveries, and the second last over four batters got out. In close games, those seven deliveries mean a lot.
“Well he's a fighter (Curran). That's something we all know. Whenever he turns up he wants to contribute. Unfortunately so far, whenever we tried to give him a chance, the wicket was on the slower side and he found it slightly difficult. But today's wicket was one of the best we've got at home in this tournament. That's the reason I felt we needed another 15 runs.”
Not too many things have gone in CSK’s favour but Brevis has been pretty good since making his debut for the franchise in the last game. The 22-year-old from South Africa hit 42 off 25 deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and followed it up with another good score against PBKS.
“It's the momentum in the middle order (Brevis offers). He's also a very good fielder, he has power and he can hit good balls for boundaries. And he brings good energy. Happy with the way he's playing. He can be an asset going ahead.”
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer (72 off 41) was named Player of the Match as his team chased down the 191-run target with two deliveries to spare. "I don't want to curse it at the moment, I'm enjoying as much as possible, trying to stay in the present and just reacting to the ball. Once I get to know if there is a big total, does not matter home or away, I keep the same approach, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't," he said.
"I know if I stay out there, I can chase down any target. Lately, I have been batting a lot in the nets and facing the quick bowlers with the new ball. I know the ball will skid on and come at a great pace. It has given me immense confidence. This is one part which I have really worked on. The attitude is that I keep high all the time whenever I enter the field. These four boxes I tick, and you see the reflection on the field."