“We would be coming live at 11:30 pm instead” - Former India opener’s brutal attack on MS Dhoni & Co. after CSK vs KKR IPL 2025 match

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag minced no words by stating that MS Dhoni's batting till the end would have made no difference to the outcome of the IPL 2025 clash between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 11. CSK suffered one of their worst home defeats in IPL history in front of a dejected Chepauk crowd.

Having been asked to bat first by KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, the CSK batters displayed no intent from the word go. Dhoni again delayed his entry point and walked in to bat with the side reeling at 72/7 in the 15th over.

However, he lasted only four deliveries after Sunil Narine trapped him LBW for just one run. The dismissal seemed questionable, as Dhoni appeared to have gotten a tickle with the bat.

Nevertheless, the third umpire backed the on-field decision and gave the CSK skipper the marching orders. It reduced CSK to an embarrassing 75/8 in the 16th over before they ultimately finished on 103/9 in 20 overs.

Speaking on Cricbuzz about Dhoni's dismissal, a visibly unimpressed Sehwag dismissed the notion that the CSK captain staying till the end would have made any difference.

"I don't think so. If he didn't get out, they could've scored a maximum of 130. KKR chased this target (104) down in 10.1 overs. We would be coming live at 11:30 pm instead. That would've been the only difference," said Sehwag (Via Hindustan Times).

KKR hunted down the target in a mere 10.1 overs with eight wickets to spare, handing CSK a fifth consecutive defeat. The losing streak is the longest for the Men in Yellow in their IPL history.

"We have to accept the challenge" - MS Dhoni

CSK skipper MS Dhoni believes the side must respond to the challenges thrown at them after the horrific start to their IPL 2025 campaign. The 43-year-old led CSK for the first time since the IPL 2023 final, thanks to regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's tournament-ending injury.

The KKR defeat was the biggest for CSK in terms of balls remaining in IPL history, and it marked the first time they suffered three consecutive home losses in a season.

Reflecting on the loss in the post-match presentation, Dhoni said (Via Cricbuzz):

"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."

With playoff hopes slowly slipping away, CSK are in a virtual must-win in their next outing against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday, April 14.