Dhoni: This bowling attack offers greater flexibility for the captain

Dhoni: Selection Changes Have Made CSK’s Bowling More Flexible

MS Dhoni believes that Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) recent team changes have brought much-needed balance and flexibility to their bowling attack. Following a crucial five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which ended a five-game losing streak, Dhoni praised the revamped bowling unit for giving the captain more tactical options.

Despite still being at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table, CSK showed signs of a turnaround by benching two senior players — Devon Conway and R Ashwin — and handing opportunities to 24-year-old Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed. The duo shared the new ball and conceded just 42 runs in the powerplay while picking up two wickets, including the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.

“We made a few changes because we wanted to strengthen our performance in the first six overs,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “We were putting too much pressure on Ash. He had to bowl two overs on surfaces that didn’t offer much assistance, and batters were taking him on.”

The inclusion of fast bowlers better suited to the powerplay allowed CSK to hold back spin options like Noor Ahmad for the middle overs, adding strategic depth to the bowling plan.

“I feel this attack offers more manoeuvrability for the captain,” Dhoni continued. “It gives us flexibility — if one of the quicks goes for runs, Noor can step in with an over. Overall, I think this bowling unit looks more balanced. We've done well with the ball. Batting, however, still has room for improvement.”

CSK restricted LSG to 166 — a total their skipper Rishabh Pant later admitted was “10-15 runs short.” In reply, a new-look opening partnership between Shaik Rasheed and Rachin Ravindra gave CSK early momentum with a brisk 52-run stand in just 29 balls, addressing one of the team's long-standing issues: underwhelming starts in the powerplay.

Reflecting on the batting woes, Dhoni acknowledged the impact of slow pitches at home:
“We weren’t getting the starts we needed. Fall of wickets at the wrong times also hurt us. But it could be due to the Chennai wicket being slightly on the slower side — we’ve played four of our first six games there,” he noted.

“The batting unit has fared better when we’ve played outside Chennai. Maybe we need to play on truer wickets that give our batters confidence to express themselves. You don’t want to play timid cricket, but at the same time, you have to pick your shots wisely and back yourself.”

With changes starting to bear fruit and Dhoni’s experience guiding the group, CSK will be hopeful of building momentum in the second half of the season.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.