IPL 2018: 5 reasons why CSK lost to KXIP

Image result for CSK — CSK won both their games in thrilling fashion

Chennai Super Kings were on a roll in IPL 2018, having won both their games after looking down and out at one stage. They were only one of two teams to take maximum points from their first two games along with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Considering their good record against Kings XI Punjab overall, it was expected that Chennai would win this encounter as well.

But the match was anything but straightforward. KL Rahul and Gayle, on his debut for KXIP, went bonkers and carted the CSK bowlers all around the park to amass 75 runs in the powerplay. Though CSK pulled things back to an extent, KXIP still reached 197, which was a par score considering the large outfield of Mohali.

CSK though still believed in their batsmen to pull off the run-chase and they did not disappoint. Rayudu and Dhoni played stellar knocks to take the chase to the last over but they eventually fell short of the target by just 4 runs.

Here are 5 reasons why CSK dropped their first points of the season:

#1 Poor Powerplay

Image result for harbhajan singh csk — Bhajji had a poor game as he gave away 41 runs during his 4 overs

Chennai’s bowling has never been one of their strong suits. They have had capable bowlers all throughout their stint in the IPL with Ashwin and Mohit Sharma being prime examples. But bowling has never won them matches.

This game again underlined this very weakness for the Super Kings. Though it is time for batsmen to make merry in the first 6 overs, conceding 75 runs in the powerplay is criminal, to say the least, and no amount of excuses can make up for that poor performance.

Gayle and KL Rahul took the bowlers to the cleaners and CSK will need to focus on it to win their future games.