IPL 13: Batsmen let the bowlers down, says Dhoni after defeat against KKR

CSK suffered a 10-run defeat against KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Wednesday.

Abu Dhabi: After Chennai Super Kings (CSK) failed to chase a 168-run target against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), skipper MS Dhoni said the bowlers did well in the match but “batsmen let the bowlers down”.

CSK suffered a 10-run defeat against KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Wednesday.

“In the middle overs, there was a phase when they bowled two-three good overs. Then we lost wickets. If our batting was different during that period, the result would have been different,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation via host broadcaster Star Sports.

“Initially we gave away a few too many with the new ball. Karn did really well. The bowlers did well to bring them down to 160, but the batsmen let the bowlers down. There were no boundaries in the end, and you have to be slightly innovative in these scenarios. If someone is bowling just back of a length, you have to find a way to hit boundaries,” he added.

After opting to bat first, KKR put a decent total on the board with the help of Rahul Tripathi’s impressive innings. Tripathi played a knock of 81 runs from 51 deliveries. For CSK, Dwayne Bravo picked three wickets while Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Sam Curran clinched two wickets each.

During the chase, Shane Watson scored 50 runs and Ravindra Jadeja smashed 21 runs off just eight balls but it was not enough for CSK to get over the line.
Sitting on the fifth spot on the points table, CSK will now take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on October 10.