Published: April 18, 2026 at 5:16 pm
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are placed eighth in the table after five matches, are in dire need of a boost ahead of their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad on Saturday. They have floundered in the tournament as they looked completely out of sorts in the first half of the tournament.
The sidelining of legend MS Dhoni during to an injury has only added to the woes of the Super Kings. Up against SRH, who are placed fifth in the IPL table, CSK need to pull up their socks if they want to make a sprint for a top four finish.
MS Dhoni with the ground staff of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday
Dhoni’s experience will help the youngsters
“Chennai Super Kings need MS Dhoni more than ever. If he is fit to play, he has to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad in any capacity. I would personally want him to keep wickets for the full 20 overs because he is excellent behind the stumps. No disrespect to Sanju’s wicket-keeping, but you need that experience. There is a lot of youth in CSK’s line-up and their two debutants – Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer need that guidance of someone as experienced as Mahi bhai. The team has shown a lot of faith in those two players, but if you have MSD, you have to make him play. His presence will help Kartik and Prashant handle the pressure better. Mahi bhai has always been a great support to Ruturaj and to the bowlers. We have seen him constantly talking to the bowlers and guiding them and that is something which will give an extra edge to Chennai against SRH,” said Aditya Tare on Star Sports Amul Cricket Live.
Tare also elaborated on Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill’s innings against Kolkata Knight Riders. “Gujarat Titans chased down 180 runs with ease. Yes, the game went to the last over, but Shubman Gill had already done the damage with the bat. He looked in complete command and his shot selection was excellent. He ran singles and doubles well and played proper cricketing strokes. GT’s Batting Coach Matthew Hayden would be proud of him. Gill controlled the middle overs against KKR and Gujarat’s win showed how KKR felt after the game. They simply had no answers to the way Gill batted.”
Former Indian spinner Piyush Chawla said it was Gill’s knock that put the Knight Riders on the backfoot early in the chase. “We all know what Shubman Gill is capable of. When he is on song, he is such a pleasing batter to watch. In this knock of 86, Gill played only cricketing shots. He made sure he put the KKR bowling attack on the backfoot just by playing those normal cricketing shots. He played on the merit of the ball, hardly taking any risks. He just made sure that everything pitched in his area went out of the park. That is the beauty of his batting. He is technically so good that you will never see him fall short of runs,” Chawla said.
The leg-spinner said Knight Riders’ inability to up the ante at the death cost them the game. “KKR looked like they were going to cross the 200-run mark easily after scoring 139 at the end of 14 overs, thanks to Cameron Green’s brilliant batting. After losing three wickets in the Powerplay, the way they came back in the middle overs was magnificent to watch. Since the beginning of TATA IPL 2026, we have been talking about the middle phase being a problem for KKR. But in Ahmedabad, they turned things around and batted beautifully. However, when it came to making the bowlers pay in the death overs, KKR batters did not apply themselves at all and kept throwing their wickets. It is not that their batters got out to magical deliveries from GT bowlers. It was poor shot selection.”
Chawla also spoke of Virat Kohli’s mindset in the RCB vs DC game. “Virat Kohli knows he has lost the Orange Cap and Shubman Gill has overtaken him. But he won’t be playing to reclaim the Orange Cap in today’s match. He just wants to come out on the field and enjoy his cricket. The way he batted in the last game against Lucknow Super Giants, even though he was not 100% fit, he took the game away from the opposition in the Powerplay. That is what you want from your senior pro. He batted beautifully. When he is on the field, you want to see that energy. He runs around, keeps chirping with the opposition players, and keeps everyone on their toes.”
