Chennai, May 1 : Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni delved into his team's defeat after they were knocked out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 following a four-wicket loss to Punjab Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. In what was a must-win clash, CSK faltered at the death, with Dhoni acknowledging that the team didn't score enough despite a strong batting show.

'I think the batting, yes, it was the first time we put enough runs on the board, but I feel it was slightly short of a par score,' Dhoni said after the match. 'It's demanding on the batsmen, but we needed slightly more.'

Put into bat, CSK were lifted by a gritty 88 off 47 balls from Sam Curran ' his first fifty of the season ' as he battled tough conditions and revived the innings after a poor start. Curran and Dewald Brevis stitched together a 78-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Curran later tore into young pacer Suryansh Shedge, smashing him for 26 runs in one over, giving CSK momentum heading into the final stretch. But what looked like a total of 200+ was derailed by Yuzvendra Chahal's stunning 19th over, where he took four wickets, including a hat-trick.

"The partnership between Brevis and Sam was excellent. We didn't play the last four deliveries, and in the second last over, four batters got out. In close games, those 7 deliveries mean a lot. Well, he's a fighter (Curran). That's something we all know.

"Whenever he turns up, he wants to contribute. Unfortunately, so far, whenever we tried to give him a chance, the wicket was on the slower side and he found it slightly difficult," he added.

Dhoni, who had just hit a six, holed out on the very next ball, followed by the dismissals of Deepak Hooda, Anshul Kamboj, and Noor Ahmad. CSK collapsed from 185/5 to 190 all out.

In reply, Punjab Kings made a steady start as Prabhsimran Singh continued his good form with a quickfire fifty, scoring 54 off 36 balls. He kept the chase on track before falling to Noor Ahmad.

From there on, captain Shreyas Iyer took over. Calm and composed early, he accelerated at the right time, hitting a flurry of boundaries and sixes, including a 17-run over off Matheesha Pathirana.

Iyer scored a fluent 72 off 41 balls before being dismissed with only a few runs left. Shashank Singh contributed a brisk 23 but also fell to a stunning boundary catch from Brevis, who juggled and kept his balance brilliantly near the ropes.

Reflecting on the game, Dhoni pointed out the areas where CSK fell short.

Dhoni was also impressed by Brevis' effort in the field and his overall presence. 'I think it's momentum in the middle order, and he's a very good fielder, and he has good power, so he can hit good balls for boundaries. He brings energy to the field, too. We needed that fresh air, someone not caught up in the spiral. He can be an asset going forward.'

The loss confirmed Chennai's elimination from the playoff race, marking the first time in the franchise's history that they failed to qualify for the knockouts in two consecutive seasons.

/IANS