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You have painful 12 hours left in IPL but got to enjoy every moment: Dhoni

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Last updated on 26 Oct 2020 | 05:03 AM
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You have painful 12 hours left in IPL but got to enjoy every moment: Dhoni

Meanwhile Virat Kohli said that his team "wasn't expressive enough"

Chennai Super Kings' IPL campaign may well end on Monday (26 October 2020), which will be their first without reaching the playoffs, if KKR win their next match but Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants his team to enjoy even as they endure a painful next 12 hours.

KKR are on 12 points and a win against KXIP on Monday will take them to 14 points. Three other sides -- Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore -- have already got 14 points.

CSK, on the other hand, can go up to 12 points even if they win their next two games.

"It does hurt when you don't do well so you try to amplify certain emotions. So that the guys just don't drop the game. That can leave with 12 painful hours of the remaining time in the tournament. You have to enjoy the game no matter where you are on the table," Dhoni said during the post-match presentation.

The last two games could well be inconsequential but the CSK skipper wants his men to just go out there and enjoy.

"If you are not enjoying the cricket, it can become cruel and painful. So I am glad with how the youngsters have responded."

The eight-wicket victory over RCB on Sunday was the kind of performance that Dhoni always wanted from his team during the tournament.

"I felt this one was one of the perfect games. Everything went to plan, and the execution was there. We kept picking wickets, and kept them to a total that was slightly below par."

He lauded spinners Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner who kept things tight while Ruturaj Gaikwad also got some amount of praise from the legend.

"The wicket was on a slower side, and the spinners did a good job. We haven't been very consistent with the batting.

"Today, the start was very good. Rutu batted well. He backed himself to play the shots he is known for. Looking to time the ball, if you look for four, you can get six," Dhoni said.

We were not expressive enough: Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli said that his team "wasn't expressive enough" during the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings but accepted that in a marathon league, there would be a defeat "here and there".

CSK beat RCB by eight wickets but Kohli's men are well and truly on their way to the playoffs with 14 points from 11 games and need only one win to officially clinch a berth.

"140+ is a competitive total on that pitch, we were targeting 150. I thought we still could have bowled change of pace and the odd bouncer. We weren't expressive enough. We let batsmen dictate stuff," Kohli said at the post-match presentation.

Kohli said that CSK's smooth run-chase wasn't a true reflection of the tricky track that was on offer where his team could muster only 145 for 6.

"What you saw in the second innings wasn't a true representation of how the pitch was. They bowled stump to stump. I don't think we got a ball to drive when we batted. Their spinners kept it tight too."

According to the India captain, it's all about preparedness on a given day.

"You have to be prepared on a given day to do well. All sides have good players, it's about how you come out onto the park on that particular day.

"We are playing really good cricket and you have to accept you will lose games here and there," he concluded.

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