MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings have set benchmarks for franchisees that might be hard to emulate. The three-time IPL champions are the only team to have made it to the knock-out stages of the tournament in every single edition that they have played in the IPL. However, in IPL 2020, MS Dhoni’s team find themselves in one of the rarest spots. The current situation is something that many fans might not even have expected in their wildest dreams when the team arrived in this tournament.
Following Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 15-run win against Delhi Capitals, every team now has scored points in the IPL 2020 edition. The win for Sunrisers Hyderabad put them in sixth position while shockingly, it has dropped Chennai Super Kings to the bottom of the table. MS Dhoni’s side started the IPL 2020 in grand style with a tense win against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi but have since suffered two consecutive losses to Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals.
Loss of momentum
After the win against Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings were blown away by the sheer power of Sanju Samson during Rajasthan Royals’ epic display in Sharjah. Along with Steve Smith and Jofra Archer, Rajasthan Royals put up a big total and Chennai Super Kings just fell short after leaving it too late in the chase. Against Delhi Capitals in Dubai, MS Dhoni’s side were once again undone by the discipline of the Delhi Capitals’ bowling unit, especially Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
The loss against Delhi Capitals dented their net run-rate as well as they are now at the bottom with a NRR of -0.840. Only Royal Challengers Bangalore have a poorer net run-rate than Chennai Super Kings in the table.
Chennai Super Kings will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 2 and they will be desperate to avoid yet another loss which could impact their campaign even further.
