MS Dhoni’s first reaction on being named Player of the Match after Chennai Super Kings beat Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets to snap a five-game losing streak in IPL 2025 was one of surprise. When presenter Murali Kartik asked Dhoni if he remembered when he had last been POTM, the CSK captained laughed and said, “Even today I was like, ‘Why are they giving me the award!’.”
Dhoni hit a crucial 26 not out off just 11 balls to seal a close chase as CSK chased down LSG’s 166 for 7 with three balls to spare. He had also effected a stumping, taken a catch and scored a direct hit run-out when LSG batted, making for an all-round day.
But Dhoni felt CSK’s bowling – particularly the powerplay and a span in the middle where Noor Ahmad and Ravindra Jadeja operated – as the key moments which swung the match his team’s way. “I feel Noor bowled really well,” Dhoni said. “You can say the Man of the Match instance was the new ball bowling, and in between when Noor and Jaddu bowled four or five overs together. Those were the two spans where we did very well.”
In the powerplay, LSG were restricted to 42 for 2, while Noor (4-0-13-0) proved extremely difficult to score off. Jadeja (3-0-24-2) at the other end got crucial wickets.
CSK find a bowling attack that works
CSK had won their first game in IPL 2025, against Mumbai Indians, but had then lost five games in a row. That included three consecutive defeats at their home ground of Chepauk, a first for CSK in IPL history. They also lost designated captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to injury, which meant Dhoni had to step back in as captain. Before their match against LSG in Lucknow, Dhoni rejigged the bowling attack, leaving out veteran R Ashwin and bringing in Jamie Overton. He also made a change up top to the batting, with Shaik Rasheed handed a long-awaited IPL debut and Devon Conway sitting out.
Dhoni felt this gave him more ‘manoeuvrability’ as skipper, especially in the powerplay.
“We made a few changes because we wanted to make sure our first six overs are slightly better,” he explained. “We need more bowlers in the first six. We were actually putting too much pressure on Ash. He has to bowl two overs on wickets that were not doing a lot and the batsmen were just expressing themselves. So we made a few changes where we could have more bowlers who are able to bowl in the first six. If the fast bowler or somebody goes for runs, we have Noor who can drop in with one over. So I feel this looks like a better attack. There is more manoeuvrability for the captain. If someone is not doing well, you can manoeuvre. As a bowling unit, we have done well. As a batting unit, I think we can do even better.”
Change in nature of Chepauk pitch?
Traditionally, CSK have been masters of their own den, and it’s been very difficult to beat them at Chepauk. However, that has not held true for IPL 2025, and Dhoni felt that the slowness of the pitch at their home ground – once an advantage for CSK – might have contributed to the batters’ struggles, and wanted changes to the nature of the surface for CSK’s future home games.
“We were not getting the kind of start that we wanted, when it came to us as a batting unit. And the fall of wickets – we keep losing wickets at the wrong time to some extent. One of the reasons could be the Chennai wickets are slightly on the slower side,” Dhoni said. “Out of the first five or six games that we have played, we have played more games over there.
“And when it comes to playing outside, the starts of the batting unit has been slightly better. So maybe we need to play on wickets which are slightly better and it will give the batsmen that confidence to play their shots. Because you don’t want to play timid cricket, but at the same time you want to figure out what is your release shot and you want to back yourself and hit that shot.”
Their win against LSG hasn’t lifted CSK off the bottom of the points table for now, but it has certainly given them the fillip that they needed to try and turn their season around. It has also justified their fans’ faith that with Dhoni back as captain, their teams fortunes would change.
