Dhoni expressed his happiness after youngsters responded with their performance.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been knocked out of the IPL 2020 after Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday evening. Even before the result between MI and RR's match, CSK skipper MS Dhoni had said they were already looking forward to next season.
Although they are out of the contest, CSK looked good against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and won the match by 8 wickets. The victory against RCB in their 12th IPL 2020 match may not help them even if they win the next two matches.
CSK's points will only limit to 12, which isn't enough to qualify this year. Now, with no chances of playoffs, skipper MS Dhoni wants his players to enjoy cricket irrespective of where they are in the points table.
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“It does hurt when you don’t do well so you try to amplify certain emotions. So that the guys just don’t drop the game. That can leave with 12 painful hours of the remaining time in the tournament. You have to enjoy the game no matter where you are on the table,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation.
“If you are not enjoying the cricket, it can become cruel and painful. So I am glad about how the youngsters have responded.”
Dhoni was satisfied with the way they performed after a disastrous outing throughout the tournament. “I felt this one was one of the perfect games. Everything went to plan, and the execution was there. We kept picking wickets, and kept them to a total that was slightly below par.”
The CSK captain didn't forget to praise spinners, Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner. He also added that youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad looked good with his shots.
“The wicket was on a slower side, and the spinners did a good job. We haven’t been very consistent with the batting. Today, the start was very good. Rutu batted well. He backed himself to play the shots he is known for. Looking to time the ball, if you look for four, you can get six,” Dhoni said.
(WITH PTI INPUTS)