IPL 2016: MS Dhoni blames bowlers after loss against Gujarat Lions

MS Dhoni looks on as Dwayne Smith is trying to execute a reverse sweep

One of the most successful skippers in the IPL history, MS Dhoni is having a torrid time in the IPL 2016 as his new team the Rising Pune Supergiants suffered their 5th defeat in seven Indian Premier League matches this season.

The Gujarat Lions won the game by 7 wickets and after this defeat, the chances of qualifying for the playoffs are looking very thin for MS Dhoni and his men.

However, the game started on a positive note for the Pune franchise as they posted a huge total of 195 on the board, largely due to the efforts of the Australian skipper Steve Smith who scored a magnificent 101. However, the destructive opening duo of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum blazed their way through to a 93-run opening partnership in just 8.1 overs to set the platform for the Gujarat Lions.

A dejected Dhoni lambasted the bowlers for the loss as he said at the post-match presentation ceremony., "First six overs, sixty runs, and it puts a lot of pressure. I feel we definitely need to improve our new-ball bowling. We should crack the code. Otherwise, we will be at the receiving end." 

Not happening for Pune

Pune’s season so far has been marred by injuries and poor bowling but their skipper did not seem to be in a mood to give excuses and said, "Injuries are beyond control. Still, more than the batting, the bowling has struggled. We have tried five-bowler combinations, six-bowler combinations. It is not happening for us. We have to sort out a few things. Otherwise, we will keep losing,"

His counterpart Suresh Raina, who played under the leadership of Dhoni in the previous eight editions of the IPL, credited his openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum for doing the damage in the powerplay.

He said, “Close win. Baz and Smith did the damage in first six overs. Jimmy had a good birthday tonight. When you have a target in mind, you can attack the first six overs. It is working for us."

However, after the fall of Smith and McCullum, the Pune team somehow clawed their way back to the game by containing the flow of runs and picking up wickets. The match went down to the wire and ultimately the Gujarat team won the game by 3 wickets.

Raina also empathised with his former IPL skipper Dhoni and said, "Captaincy has been good. Learnt a lot from MS. I am not going to see MS tonight. He will be very, very upset. I'll see him later." 

The Man-of-the-Match Dwayne Smith, who scored a 63, heaped praise on his opening partner as he said, “I enjoy opening, especially with Baz. I hope we can continue doing that. It was great to see Baz take the mantle. I just had to sit back. The boys are really up for it.”