Follow UsChennai Super Kings (CSK) are batting first for the first time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first on April 11 (Friday). CSK have lost four of their five encounters so far, and MS Dhoni was pleased to bat first against KKR, saying they have opted to bowl first in previous games where they should have actually batted first.
Dhoni has taken over the CSK captaincy from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was ruled out of the IPL 2025 because of an elbow injury. Gaikwad won the toss in the first three games and bowled first in each of those matches. In the last two, CSK lost the toss and were asked to field by the opposition captain. Chennai chased down 155 against Mumbai Indians (MI) but have failed to hunt down targets of 196, 182, 183 and 219 since then.
“We were looking to bat first. Quite a few occasions where we tried to chase it down, and what we realised is that the wicket slows down a bit, so if you don't get a good start then the middle order comes under pressure,” said Dhoni, who is captaining CSK for the first time since the IPL 2023 final, where they defeated Gujarat Titans to win the tournament for the fifth time.
CSK’s batting unit has the worst scoring rate (8.5) in the IPL 2025. Unsurprisingly, CSK also have the least number of sixes (31) in the ongoing competition. MSD admitted that CSK don’t have ultra-aggressive batters in their set-up, so wants them to be smart and look for 4s rather than slogging blindly.
“It is important now, every game is important. We have lost too many matches and now it is important to do the basics right - have dot balls, take our catches. A couple of games we lost by big margins, but otherwise it was about the small things - about one over going for 20 runs. Our batters are more authentic as batters, they won't slog everything. They just need to back their instincts.”