3 glaring mistakes by CSK in their IPL 2024 match vs SRH
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) slumped to a disappointing IPL 2024 defeat at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) cruised past them by six wickets on Friday, April 5.
It was a poor showing from the Men in Yellow right from the start, and they were always chasing the game. The Super Kings made a few amateur errors in both innings, ones that they committed before and paid the price for.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. have lost successive games in the tournament and need to arrest this slump before it's too late. They remain third, but that could change soon, with a midtable logjam brewing.
Here are three glaring mistakes made by CSK in their IPL 2024 game against SRH:
#3 CSK sent in Ravindra Jadeja at No. 5
When Shivam Dube was dismissed in the 14th over by Pat Cummins, CSK's hopes of a big total took a massive hit. They could've attempted to make the most of a poor situation by sending in one of Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell and MS Dhoni, but they chose Ravindra Jadeja instead.
That's a move that rarely works these days. Jadeja's batting has been subpar for several seasons now, especially when used up the order. And the left-hander disappointed once again, managing 31off 23 and remaining unbeaten.
Had Dhoni or Moeen been given some time to get set, they could've, in theory, contributed more runs at a better rate than Jadeja. It's impossible to prove, but the odds were certainly higher.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad and company didn't make full use of the batting powerplay
![CSK captain Gaikwad showed barely any intent [Image Courtesy: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/30d52-17123421721516-1920.jpg?w=500)
SRH raced off the blocks in the second innings powerplay, knowing that they needed to capitalize on the best phase for batting. Scoring in the middle overs was always going to be tough on that wicket, and the home side knew that well.
CSK, though, got their approach all wrong. The Super Kings managed only 48 runs in their first six overs, and there were barely any attacking strokes played by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Even Ajinkya Rahane, who struck a six off Cummins, defended the rest of that over.
Chennai's only hope of getting to a match-winning score was maximizing the powerplay and putting the SRH bowlers under pressure in the middle overs. They didn't do that, not for the first time this year, and paid the price. Gaikwad, in particular, was disappointing with his intent.
#1 Moeen Ali was not only introduced too late but was also placed at slip
Moeen Ali has been known to drop catches while standing in the slips alongside MS Dhoni. Yet, he continued to be placed there in his first outing of IPL 2024 against SRH and spilled a simple catch that would've sent Travis Head back in the very first over.
That wasn't the only wrong usage of the English all-rounder. Moeen was introduced as the sixth bowler and wasn't brought into the attack in the powerplay, when Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were carting the ball to all corners of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Had Gaikwad bowled Moeen in the powerplay to two left-handers, he would've also had more overs of pace for the middle overs, where cutters and bouncers proved effective.