'That's what cost us': Gaikwad after CSK's second successive defeat
What's the story
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has admitted that a poor bowling performance was the reason behind their five-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Friday. Despite posting a challenging total of 209/5, led by young Ayush Mhatre's explosive knock, CSK failed to defend it as Shreyas Iyer's men chased it down with ease in just 18.4 overs.
Bowling woes
Not our day, says Gaikwad
Gaikwad was disappointed with his team's bowling display, despite having a balanced attack of three seamers and two spinners. He said, "We felt we had three seamers (Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, and Khaleel Ahmed) going in, and obviously we have two good wrist spinners (Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar) bowling in tandem, especially in the middle after the powerplay." "I think, you know, slight off day for both of them, so I think that is what cost us."
Missed chances
Need to build pressure in middle overs, feels Gaikwad
The CSK captain also lamented his team's failure to build pressure in the middle overs with their bowling. He said, "There was a point when it (required run-rate) went to 11, and a couple of good overs would have taken it to 12-13." He added that they just didn't get momentum with the ball in those crucial middle overs.
Batting brilliance
Focus on batting positives for CSK
Despite the loss, Gaikwad chose to focus on the positives from his team's batting. He praised young Mhatre and Shivam Dube for their impressive performances but stressed that there is still room for improvement in their bowling department. Winning captain Iyer credited openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh's explosive start as key to chasing down CSK's big total with ease.