Chennai Super Kings suffered their fifth defeat in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday (1 May), losing out to Punjab Kings by seven wickets. A major reason behind the defeat was losing the toss, considering dew played its part in Chepauk yet again by facilitating run-scoring in the second innings, wherein Chennai were bowling. For skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, it is becoming a concern now.
Interestingly, Gaikwad has lost all of his last five tosses, despite practising flips of the coin during the training sessions. Revealing how he is more worried about tosses than his batting, he stated after the match:
I have practised the tosses a lot. I am winning in the practice, but not winning in the match. I’m not sure what to do. I am really under pressure at the toss, not at the game. It is very difficult with the dew. Even last game, we were quite surprised that we would win by that much margin. Dew is something we can't control.Ruturaj Gaikwad
Being asked to bat first by Punjab’s skipper Sam Curran, Chennai could only accumulate a meek total of 162/7, which Punjab required 17.5 overs to chase down. Explaining the batting display of his team, Gaikwad added:
We were probably 50-60 runs short, to be honest. When we were batting first, the pitch wasn't great. In the last 2 games, we tried our best to get 200-210. Today the pitch wasn’t good enough to get to even 180.Ruturaj Gaikwad
Besides the toss and an unimpressive batting show, what also worked against Chennai was the unavailability of crucial pacers. Matheesha Pathirana, who bowls at the death for Chennai, was nursing a niggle, whilst Tushar Deshpande, who usually is entrusted with the responsibility of picking early wickets, was unwell. To compound Gaikwad’s problems, Deepak Chahar could only bowl two deliveries before sustaining an injury.
Speaking about the prolonged list of absentees, Gaikwad said:
It is a real problem. There are phases you want to get a wicket, and you have only two bowlers. Plus, the spinners are out of the question because of the dew. But there are four games left and we will try and come back to winning ways.Ruturaj Gaikwad
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