IPL 2020: 4 Reasons Why Blaming MS Dhoni For CSK's Poor Run Is Wrong

MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings have found themselves in unchartered territories in the ongoing IPL 2020. A team which is known for dominating the IPL is looking out of sorts in the ongoing competition.

On Friday, the three-time champions lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad to suffer their third consecutive defeat of the season. This is the first time, CSK have lost three games in a row since 2014.

The MS Dhoni-led side is looking like a pale shadow of its usual self. Against SRH, they lost the game by 7 runs while chasing 165. MS Dhoni once again remained on the crease till the end but could not take his team over the finishing line. The CSK skipper scored an unbeaten 47 but it was not enough.

And after another defeat, MS Dhoni is facing criticism once again. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has rarely faced criticism for his performance in the IPL but the ongoing season is turning out to be an exception. However, it is wrong to solely blame the legendary skipper for CSK’s dismal performance so far. Here we are taking a look at four reasons why blaming MS Dhoni for CSK’s poor run in IPL 2020 is not right:

4. Less time available for training:

Even before the start of the tournament, CSK suffered a big blow when 13 of their squad members including two players tested positive for coronavirus. As a result, the entire team had to extend the quarantine period from six days to 14. CSK had landed in Dubai on August 21 and were expected to start their training by August 28.

However, they could not start training before September 4 while all the teams had started their preparation by the end of the August. That one week gap has made a big difference as CSK are still struggling to find the right balance in their playing eleven.

3. Big names pulling out of the tournament:

Before the start of the competition, CSK suffered two huge blows when Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulled out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons. CSK did not announce any replacement for the duo and their absence has cost them dear. In Suresh Raina’s absence, CSK’s batting lineup is looking extremely weak.

2. Not being able to keep pace with required run-rates:

This is one of the biggest reasons why CSK have lost three games so far. In all the three games, the three-time champions rarely showed any urgency with the bat from the start and it eventually played a big part in their defeat. By the time, MS Dhoni arrived at the crease, the games were pretty much lost and with little support from the other end, the veteran could do very little for his side.

1. Poor performance of openers:

In all the four games so far, CSK have failed to get any substantial contribution from their openers. They did drop Murali Vijay for the SRH game but it made little difference. Shane Watson’s scores so far in the tournament are – 4, 33, 14 and 1 while Murali Vijay’s scores are – 1, 21, 10.

With Raina not playing this year and openers not contributing much, a lot is being left on the middle-order which has looked extremely weak. Kedar Jadhav’s poor form has not helped the team either and thus putting the entire blame on MS Dhoni is wrong.