IPL 2025: 'Where is the Intent?' – Sidhu & Harsha Bhogle Question CSK & MS Dhoni's Approach in Loss to DC

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Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle questioned Chennai Super Kings' approach in the run chase against Delhi Capitals, saying the team lacked any intent to win the match on Saturday (April 6).

Chasing 184 on their home turf of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, CSK managed to get to 158/5 in their allotted 20 overs and in the process suffered their third straight loss, including two at Chepauk in IPL 2025.

CSK lost half their side inside 11 overs with 74 runs on the board in the pursuit of the target, leaving the already struggling Vijay Shankar and the best finisher of the game Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the task of chasing down 110 in 56 balls.

Dhoni (30* off 26 balls) and Shankar (69* off 54 balls) managed to remain unbeaten, but the pair showed no real intent of trying to chase down the score, and only hit boundaries when the game was already lost in the final two overs.

The pair and CSK's approach on the whole came for scrutiny after the match as it was the third successive match in which they failed to complete a chase. In fact, CSK has never managed to chase down a 180 plus score since 2018.

Many had questioned Dhoni's batting position in previous matches, but the former captain walked out to bat at number seven and had at least 9 overs to face, but still only got the blade wielding in the final overs as he struggled to find boundaries against the DC spinners.

'Dhoni is showing no intent to win matches'

Former cricket Sidhu feels Dhoni is doing more harm to his legacy by not contributing in crunch moments. "His match-winning memories are there in our minds. We still remember Dhoni of old times," Sidhu said after the match.

"We don't want to see Dhoni in the current state where he is showing no intent to win matches. Win or defeat can happen to anyone, but you need to show some fight. This is what Delhi Capitals did in the match against CSK. I fear for MS Dhoni's legacy. It could diminish. Truth is always bitter, but you can't run away from it."

'CSK scoring incosequential runs'

Meanwhile, Bhogle also questioned what CSK did and added if he was a fan of the team he would be questioning the lack of intent when speaking on CricBuzz in a post-match discussion show.

"Don't think there was a chase. There was a stroll. it wasn't a chase at all. At no point was it a chase. They have got 41 runs in the last three overs, but those runs in the 12, 13, 14 make a big difference," Bhogle said on CricBuzz.

"They are playing themselves into a situation where the game is already gone and to some extent the 41 off the last three overs are incosequential runs. Unless they are winning matches and then the Net Run Rate (NRR) counts."

Bhogle further added looking at the situation as a CSK fan, "I'm thinking 'did I see intent?' did I see my team saying I don't mind losing by 60 runs, but I might get close to the target and I might win. And I didn't see that against RCB, they lost lot of wickets there, here they hadn't even lost wickets. So, as a fan I'm starting to think is my team pushing hard to win."

"No team goes out there not wanting to win. So, don't get me wrong there. But did they push hard enough. I think when MS (Dhoni) came in to bat, it was 112 off 55 balls or there abouts. It was 10 or 15. So you can't win when it's 10 or 15, you can't let it come to 25 an over. But it doesn't matter as long as you don't get those two points."

'Dhoni Had Intent'

CSK head coach Fleming admitted it was a difficult watch but argued there was intent from the team and Dhoni. Fleming did not see Dhoni coming in the 11th over as a damage limitation move and said batting at that stage was really tough.

"The intent was there. When he went out, I think the ball started to grip a little bit more. We understood it was going to be good for the first half and then gradually get slower. So, we were keen to bat and then take pace with the ball," Fleming said at the post-match conference.

"They did it really well. Vijay Shankar struggled to get timings all the way through his innings. But that period from 12 to 16 overs was difficult for all. It was tough to watch and certainly tough to be out there. So the game was just slipping away, and even with intent and different methods to do it, it was just too big a scale," said Fleming.