Courtesy: BCCI/IPL/CSK
On Friday, April 11, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lost against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in one of the most lopsided matches in recent memory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) despite the return of MS Dhoni as captain in place of injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. After losing five matches on the spin in the IPL 2025, CSK are on a downward spiral, but still, in the post-match press conference, their batting coach Michael Hussey was hopeful about the team somehow scraping through to the playoffs stage.
Notably, after MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first against KKR at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the CSK batting lineup capitulated in a heap, getting restricted to 103/9 in their allotted 20 overs after the spin trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Moeen Ali shared six wickets amongst themselves. In the run chase, Sunil Narine scored a quickfire 44 runs in 18 balls with two fours and five maximums, to help them get over the line with eight wickets in hand and 59 balls to spare.
While speaking to the media after a terrible day at the office for CSK, their batting coach Michael Hussey spoke about how there are still eight matches remaining for them to make the playoffs despite being in ninth place on the points table currently, ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on the basis of NRR. He was quoted as saying, “We are certainly not putting the white flag up just yet. You only have to get in to scrape into that fourth place. And a big, long tournament like the IPL, it is about momentum.”
We haven't been playing good cricket consistently: Michael Hussey
“Now, certainly the momentum is not with us at the moment whatsoever. We haven't been playing good cricket consistently. We definitely acknowledge that, put our hands up and say that that is fact at the moment. But that's not to say things can't turn around and can't turn around quickly. So, that's what we're still hanging on to, and that's what we're working hard towards. And if we can change that momentum and get some confidence going and get a few wins on the board, the confidence will grow and you never know,” Michael Hussey added.
Moreover, in their next match in the IPL 2025 season, CSK will be playing against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday, April 14.
