CSK’s Shocking Loss: Tiwary and Sehwag Critique Dhoni’s Late Batting

Former Indian cricketers Manoj Tiwary and Virender Sehwag criticized the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coaching staff after they lost badly to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Chepauk. CSK, who have won the IPL five times, struggled to chase a target of 197 runs. An unusual decision was made to send MS Dhoni in to bat at No. 9, only the second time in his T20 career. The last time was during IPL 2024 against the Punjab Kings, where he was out without scoring.

Tiwary, speaking on Cricbuzz, questioned why Dhoni, who can score quickly, was held back when the team needed him most. “How can you not send a player like Dhoni up the order? You want to win, right?” he said. He accused the CSK management of not having the courage to ask Dhoni to bat earlier. Sehwag agreed but added that it wouldn’t have made a difference to the match’s outcome. “This is what he and his team have decided. He usually bats in the 17th or 18th over,” he explained.

In their match, CSK lost three wickets quickly and had trouble scoring runs. Fans expected Dhoni to come in early, but instead, players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja went in first, which upset many supporters. By the time Dhoni came to bat in the 16th over, it was too late. He scored a quick 30 runs off 16 balls with two sixes but couldn’t save the team from losing by 50 runs. This defeat was important as it marked RCB’s first win at Chepauk in 17 years.