Dhoni walked out to bat at No. 5 with 25 balls remaining in the chase.
Chasing 220 to win, CSK could manage 201/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Devon Conway (69 retd out off 49), Shivam Dube (42 off 27), Rachin Ravindra (36 off 23) and MS Dhoni (27 off 12) batted well but failed to take the five-time champions over the line.
After the game, former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull suggested that Dhoni may have made a difference if he came to bat earlier.
Notably, Dhoni walked out to bat at No. 5 with 25 balls remaining in the chase and 69 runs still needed. While the veteran wicketkeeper slammed three sixes and a boundary in his quickfire cameo, he holed it to Yuzvendra Chahal on the first ball of the final over as CSK fell 18 runs short of the target.
“Dhoni had three sixes in 12 balls. The rest of the team had five in total. So that tells you he's still got the ability and power to hit those sixes. That's why we have been talking about getting him up in the order. Because 27 off 12 balls, when they are 2 down, actually can make a difference. It's not his fault,” Doull told Cricbuzz.
One of the surprising moments of the game was CSK's decision to retire out Conway to make way for Ravindra Jadeja.
Sharing his thoughts on this move, Doull said: “Retiring Conway was an interesting decision. He had the pace of the pitch but his strike rate was too low. In a game where you've got a strike rate of 190 to win, he was scoring at 140. But he was retired out too late, too late for Jadeja to assess.”
“But Dhoni was 27 off 12 balls... if it happens at no.3 or 4, that makes a difference to the game. By the time he came out to bat, the run rate was 14. It was too late,” he further remarked.
It was CSK’s fourth defeat in five games this season. As a result, they are currently languishing at the ninth spot in the 10-team points table.
Chennai Super Kings will next face the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk on Friday (April 11).