Dhoni has played 243 matches in the IPL, having captained the Chennai Super Kings in 216 of them. He has witnessed the CSK franchise transform into one of the strongholds of the IPL, winning five titles under his command. However, the story took a turn in IPL 2025. CSK has had a poor campaign, and now Dhoni, who is back in charge, is battling to save his legacy. And on Friday, a further blow: CSK lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets, all but extinguishing their hopes for the playoffs.

 

SRH chased the total of 154 in 18.4 overs. On a slow pitch, a composed 44 off 34 was by Ishan Kishan. It was the duo of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Kamindu Mendis who sealed the match, stitching a 49-run partnership, still unbeaten, after SRH was at 106/5 in the 14th over. It has taken SRH to 6 points from 9 games into the 8th position on the table and alive their dreams of making it to the playoffs.

 
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So, one could say that the Chepauk track didn't have very quick pace, but it surely wasn't impossible to bat on, as Ayush Mhatre proved with a quick-fire 30 off 19. CSK replaced Rachin Ravindra with its fourth opening pair for the season. Shaik Rasheed scored nothing; Sam Curran, elevated to No. 3, got just 9. As Mhatre got out by the end of the powerplay, Ravindra Jadeja walked in at No. 4 after his heroics against Mumbai Indians.

 

The 53 runs were steady from Jadeja, but the strike rate did raise a few eyebrows. The going was slow, with Jadeja first scoring in 20 balls. In fact, his first 20 runs came at a run-a-ball pace. Similar to Friday's game, he got out scoring 21 off 17 balls. 

 

Number 6, Shivam Dube scored 12 in just 9 balls, and Deepak Hooda made a return to the side for the game, scoring 22 runs off 21 balls. His innings were not spectacular, but they did take CSK over the 150 mark. Even Dhoni stated that we were 20 to 30 runs short and the batting methods seemed outdated.

 

Dewald Brevis Mature Batting:

 

On the positive side, a mid-season signing-Dewald Brevis-impressed on his debut. He faced 25 balls, of which 8 were dot balls, and rotated the strike intelligently. Just as he was settling down into acceleration with three sixes clubbed off Kamindu Mendis, he was dismissed at 41. One of the catches of the season-Mendis' catch-ended Brevis's innings and denied him a debut fifty.

 

Brevis's innings was a glorious blip. He hit more sixes-four-than the entire CSK lineup combined. The CSK side has struggled to find the big shots all season and hence only managed 49 sixes this year, while KKR-the next poorest-smashed 61.The team got badly affected when brevity got out in the thirteenth over. Their run rate from 8.84 came down to 5.57 now. Hooda added a few, but the finish was weak. Dhoni was lucky to get even 6 off 10 balls as the wickets fell like dominos around him.

 

 

Not a Good Chase:

 

That's the credit of Harshal Patel who made minced meat of CSK's middle order. His slower balls were killing. Just 28 wickets captured in 4 overs, bowled 14 dot balls, probably allowed just a single four and two sixes.

 

SRH did not chase well, coming in with 69 runs for the loss of three wickets at halfway point and looking for another 86 runs from the last ten overs. After all scare post his debut century, he has now scored 44 off 34 with the anchor role in the innings. Smashed five fours and a six to include SRH in holding afloat a dismally low run rate.

 

Eventually, it was Reddy and Mendis who sealed the deal. They added an unbeaten 49 runs for the sixth wicket. Reddy remained unbeaten on 19 whereas Mendis hit a calm 32* to guide SRH home in 18.4 overs.