"60 in 6 overs with our line-up will be very difficult" - MS Dhoni’s candid admission after CSK’s horror show in IPL 2025 match vs KKR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni opened up on their horror show with the bat as they suffered another crushing defeat in the IPL 2025 game on Friday at the Chepauk. With the Super Kings managing only 31 runs in the powerplay against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Dhoni said they can't go looking to score 60 in the first six overs.

After choosing to bowl first, the defending champions picked wickets at regular intervals with hardly any batters of the home side getting going. Only four Chennai batters reached double figures and managed 103/9 in 20 overs. The Knight Riders won in a canter by eight wickets with 59 balls to spare.

Speaking at the post-game presentation, Dhoni, who could score 1 off 4, explained that CSK have batters who play textbook shots, suggesting their motto is to take the game deep.

"Our openers are good openers, play authentic cricket shots, they don't slog or look to hit across the line. It is important not to get desperate seeing the scorecard. If we start looking for 60 (in powerplay) with our lineup, it will be very difficult for us. Get partnerships going, maybe capitalise in the middle and later overs and if we lose wickets, the middle order has to do their job differently. And the slog will be delayed for quite a while."

On a surface that was slow, Kolkata's spinners operated quite well, led by Moeen Ali, who bowled a maiden and took the wicket of Devon Conway. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy picked up five scalps between them.

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"We did not have enough runs on the board" - MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings. (Image Credits: CSK on X)

MS Dhoni went on to lament the lack of partnerships on the surface, admitting that Kolkata's quality spinners exploited it quite well. He added:

"It has been quite a few nights that has not gone our way. The challenge has been there, we have to accept the challenge. Today I felt we did not have enough runs on the board. It has been the case over there, when we bowled in the 2nd innings it stopped a bit, today it did in the first innings. When you lose too many wickets, there is pressure and with quality spinners it is difficult. We never got any partnerships and bit more partnerships, application and we would be fine."

It was also the third straight defeat for Chennai at home and they have lost five matches this season.