Chennai Super Kings came close to securing a heroic victory over Rajasthan Royals but ultimately fell short. Despite the efforts of skipper MS Dhoni, who remained unbeaten till the end, the team needed 5 runs from the final ball to win. Unfortunately, Dhoni couldn't dispatch the ball to the boundary, resulting in Rajasthan claiming a 3-run victory.
Dhoni turns back the clock
Despite his team's loss, Dhoni looked in sublime touch throughout the match, executing some of his trademark sixes, especially against spinners. In fact, he scored 32 off just 17 balls with the help of one boundary and three sixes, forming a valuable partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 25 off 15 balls.
In the final over against Sandeep Sharma, Dhoni was able to hit two sixes, but it wasn't enough to secure the win. Speaking after the match, CSK coach Stephen Fleming broke some worrying news, revealing that Dhoni is nursing a knee injury.
Extent of injury
"He is nursing a knee injury, which you can see in some of his movements. It's hindering him somewhat. His fitness has always been very professional. He comes a month before the tournament starts. He's a great player. We have never doubts over him. He's just amazing," Fleming said in the press conference.
However, he did not suggest that this injury would prevent Dhoni from playing in the team's upcoming games. While the news is certainly a concern for CSK fans, the extent of Dhoni's injury and his potential availability in the coming weeks are currently unknown.
Ridddled with injuries
In addition to Dhoni's injury, Fleming also confirmed that CSK would be without the services of pacer Sisanda Magala for the next couple of weeks. This news compounds the team's woes, as they look to bounce back from their recent defeat and make a strong push for the playoffs.
"Magala's hand was split, unfortunately, so he was unable to bowl those last two overs. And same with Deepak Chahar in the last game, so we're operating on pretty thin resources. But we're not the only team to have that." "I think a lot of players coming out of a big domestic season are a little bit broken, but we just keep having to find solutions," Fleming said.
"So we'll do that in the next four days. But, yeah, it's not ideal yet. The captain has to then think on his feet (if bowlers keep getting injured). Moeen Ali had to come back (after Magala hurt his webbing), and he hadn't had a great day but he got the wicket of (Jos) Buttler which was good.
"And you've got young players like Akash (Singh), who is coming in for his first game, having to bowl some key overs. It's not how we plan, but T20 very rarely goes according to plan," the CSK coach added.
