Follow Us"When I went into bat, with the kind of deliveries and the runs needed, I felt I should've converted a couple more shots to ease the pressure. I take the blame," is what MS Dhoni said after he failed to take Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the line against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 3 (Saturday).
CSK needed 42 to win off 21 deliveries when Dhoni walked in, but could manage just 12 off eight deliveries; however, despite a 94 from Ayush Mhatre and an unbeaten 77 from Ravindra Jadeja.
Dhoni has also called for his bowlers to focus on bowling and executing yorkers.
"We need to practice more yorkers. More often than not, when the batters start to connect, you have to rely on yorkers. Also the margin of error [yorkers provide] - so if you're looking for a perfect yorker, if that doesn't happen, a low full toss is the next best thing. It's one of the most difficult balls to hit. Somebody like Pathirana, if the yorker isn't happening, he has got pace," he said.
Yash Dayal defended 15 off the final over, with Dhoni and Jadeja still at the crease. However, he held his nerve and delivered a nervy win for RCB.
RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik lavished praise on Dayal's work ethic and rates him among the best in the world. "He is right up there with some of the best that are there in India," Karthik said.
"The one thing that you see with the young crop of cricketers is how much they work hard behind the scenes, Yash is someone who is very diligent, comes to meeting with a paper and writes down everything what he wants to do, the execution might be up and down at times but one thing you will not get less from him is effort. He always has a plan, he has got a special skill, and that is one of the reasons we retained him."
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar was also confident that Dayal would deliver. "He is a main bowler of the team, he is a death specialist, it was a clear-cut thought to give the last over to Yash. Last year he also did well and I'm happy for him," he said.
With this win, RCB go top of the IPL 2025 table with 16 points from 11 matches. CSK continue to struggle in the tournament, succumbing to their ninth loss.