Dhoni exposes Chepauk pitch flaw after CSK's big win over LSG

After CSK’s win over LSG in IPL 2025, MS Dhoni slammed slow Chepauk pitches, saying they force teams to play “timid cricket” and urged IPL to fix them.

Dhoni Calls for Better Pitches in IPL

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has urged the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers to focus on preparing pitches that encourage shot-making and high-scoring games. His comments came after CSK's hard-fought victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their recent match, which saw the team snap a five-match losing streak.

Dhoni's Pitch Concerns

Speaking after the match, Dhoni referred specifically to the surface at their home ground in Chepauk, which has been notoriously slow this season. Despite being a fortress for CSK over the years, the pitch at Chepauk has been a challenge for the team in IPL 2025.

"One of the reasons could be that the Chennai wicket is slightly on the slower side. When we have played away from home, the batting unit has done slightly better. Maybe we need to play on wickets that are slightly better so that it'll give the batters confidence to play their shots. You don't want to play timid cricket," Dhoni said after the match.

"As a bowling unit we've done well. As a batting unit, we can do better."

CSK's Confidence Boost with the Win

The match against LSG proved to be a confidence booster for CSK, especially after their string of defeats. Dhoni played a crucial role in the victory, scoring a quick-fire 26 runs off just 11 balls, guiding his team to a five-wicket win.

"It's good to win a game. When you play a tournament like this, you want to win games. Unfortunately the (earlier) matches didn't go our way for whatever reasons. There can be lots of reasons. It's good to have a win on our side. Gives confidence to the whole team and helps us improve in areas we want to improve," Dhoni said after the match.

Pant's Recovery and LSG's Shortfall

On the other side, LSG captain Rishabh Pant reflected on his own form, having broken a lean patch with a match-winning 49-ball 63. "I am feeling better with each and every game, but sometimes it doesn't come off. Slowly getting into my rhythm, taking every match at a time," Pant shared.

Pant also addressed the decision not to bowl Ravi Bishnoi, LSG's standout bowler, in the final over despite his impressive performance earlier in the game. "We discussed with a lot of players, but we couldn't take him (Bishnoi) deeper, that (bowling him in the last over) didn't happen today," he explained.