Ruing the missed catches that could have made the difference in the field, captain MS Dhoni said Chennai Super Kings were "slightly short of a par score" in their four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings that knocked the southern franchise out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs race at Chepauk on Wednesday, April 30. (As It Happened | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
"It was the first time we put enough runs on the board, but I feel it was slightly short of a par score. It's demanding on the batsmen but we needed slightly more. The partnership between (Sam) Curran and (Dewald) Brevis was fantastic," Dhoni said after the match.
He added: "I think we need to take our catches. Curran is a fighter, we all know. Unfortunately whenever we have tried to give him a chance so far, it was a slow wicket but today's wicket was the best one we had at home this season."
Chennai Super Kings have endured a dismal run in the 2025 edition, losing eight out of the 10 games they have played so far. The early exit also means that the Indian Premier League will witness back-to-back seasons without MS Dhoni in the summit clash for the first time ever.
CSK lie at the bottom of the Indian Premier League 2025 standings with four points from 10 games, and will play their remaining four matches purely for pride.
A hat-trick from Yuzvendra Chahal, followed by top knocks from Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh guided Punjab Kings to the nervy four-wicket win. Punjab chased down CSK's 191-run target in 19.4 overs
Nevertheless, Dhoni spoke highly of teammate Brevis. "I think it's momentum in the middle order and he's a very good fielder and he has good power so he can hit good balls for boundaries. He brings energy in the field too. We needed that fresh air, someone not caught up in the spiral. He can be an asset going forward."
