CHENNAI: With one over remaining in Chennai's chase against Delhi Capitals, a sort of negative energy pervaded through the terraces of the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. The host's had no way of winning the match — it was a mathematical improbability — but MS Dhoni was one of the batters in the middle. Yet, the hoi-polloi, who had sworn their allegiance in blood to the wicket-keeper, had started making their way towards to exit gates. They had seen enough.
Chennai does have a good sporting system and culture but watching the Chennai Super Kings in Summer is part of the city's culture. Like eating mangoes or booking an fdfs or heading to one of the myriad sabhas... watching this team is part of the routine for many.
Yet, on Saturday night, after watching their beloved team go down for a third time in a week, an air of pessimism hung around the stadium just as Vijay Shankar took strike off Mukesh Kumar to start the final over of the chase.
What was most alarming was the way the hosts went down. There was no fight, no belief and it seemed like they were going through the motions for a long time. Dhoni walked out with 56 balls remaining (110 to win) remaining in the chase. There was a predictable raise in noise levels but the enthusiasm had died pretty soon. In the middle, Dhoni and Shankar hit a few boundaries but they never really threatened to take down the target.
For regular watchers of the franchise, this is nothing new. Since the start of the 2019 season, Chennai have never successfully chased down a target of 180+. It's now 0-10 and there are multiple reasons for it. It's one of the many reasons why the franchise are already behind the eight ball even if there are 10 fixtures remaining.
Lack of powerplay runs up top, losing lots of wickets, not enough intent through the middle and the absence of a genuine finisher at the back end... All of these issues are hurting them. Think about it. Chennai have gone through whole campaigns using only 17 players. In 2025? They have already used 17, including all of their seven overseas players. This is suggestive of a franchise battling multiple problems in one go.
With two games in two corners of India over the next week — one in Mullanpur against Punjab Kings and one back home versus Kolkata Knight Riders — it can go two ways. This campaign will either be over even if it has properly begun or there will be a rousing response over the next week.