"We were putting too much pressure on Ash" - MS Dhoni makes huge statement on star spinner after LSG vs CSK IPL 2025 clash
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni believes star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was under too much pressure to deliver the goods with the ball in the powerplay in IPL 2025. Dhoni's remarks followed a couple of crucial changes made by CSK to their playing XI and strategies, which enabled them to emerge victorious against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 14.
The Men in Yellow surprisingly dropped Ashwin from the XI due to his poor form and to maintain team balance. The 38-year-old had picked up only five wickets in CSK's first six outings at an average of 39.60 and an economy of almost ten.
Ashwin was particularly poor in the powerplay, resulting in Dhoni utilizing Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj throughout the first six overs in the LSG clash. The move worked wonders as CSK restricted LSG to a mere 42/2 in the first six overs.
Talking about the same after CSK's win in the post-match presentation, Dhoni said (Via Cricbuzz):
"We were putting too much pressure on Ash. He was bowling two overs in the first six. We made changes and this looks like a better attack. As a bowling unit we've done well. As a batting unit, we can do better."
CSK had lost five consecutive games after winning their season opener against the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, they broke the losing streak with a magnificent five-wicket win over LSG in Lucknow.
"God makes it very tough" - MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni acknowledged CSK's difficulty overcoming a challenging phase with a hard-fought win over LSG. Amid their longest losing streak in IPL history, the five-time champions pulled off a last-over thriller over LSG, thanks to a brilliant 11-ball 26* from the skipper himself.
Dhoni was also adjudged the Player of the Match for his incredible finishing gig - his first since IPL 2019.
"It's good to win a game. When you play a tournament like this, you want to win games. Unfortunately the [earlier] matches didn't go our way for whatever reasons. There can be lots of reasons. It's good to have a win on our side. Gives confidence to the whole team and helps us improve in areas we want to improve. We all knew that when it doesn't come your way in cricket, God makes it very tough, and it was a tough game," said Dhoni.
Despite the close win, CSK remain at the bottom of the table with only two wins in seven matches. Their next outing will be against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on April 20.