IPL 2021: "The truth is that a lot of things are going wrong" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's 3 consecutive defeats

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that a lot of things are going awry for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2021 playoffs.

CSK suffered a six-wicket defeat against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Thursday afternoon's Indian Premier League encounter. It was the MS Dhoni-led side's third consecutive loss just before the business end of the tournament.

While reviewing CSK's defeat in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the franchise has been hit by quite a few issues. He elaborated:

"The Chennai fans are emotional but the truth is that it is not working out, a lot of things are going wrong. Ruturaj has been dismissed off a bouncer in two consecutive matches. Faf was standing like a one-man army. But no one gave him the support."

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that none of the middle-order batsmen made a decent contribution. Chopra observed:

"Moeen Ali, I am telling you he is not getting runs in the UAE. You played Robin Uthappa and he has not scored runs in both encounters. Ambati Rayudu, who was scoring runs, got out here. Then MS Dhoni comes and he has not scored runs."

While Faf du Plessis played a 76-run knock, CSK's second-highest run-scorer was Ravindra Jadeja, who scored an unbeaten 15.

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"The middle order is not firing at all" - Aakash Chopra on the problems ahead for CSK

CSK have been overly reliant on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra painted a gloomy picture for CSK if the middle fails to fire. He explained:

"You didn't score the runs to say that you can win the encounter. The same problems are troubling you repeatedly. The middle order is not firing at all. If you have a misfiring middle order like that and God forbid, if your openers get out, you will not be able to save it. It is a reality."

The 44-year-old signed off by stating that CSK have an uphill task ahead if they want to bag their fourth IPL trophy. Chopra said:

"Raina had not scored runs and Robin Uthappa has also not scored runs now, so whom will you play in the knockout match against Delhi. If you don't win that match, it will become four games in a row. Then you have to go to Sharjah and win. It's going to be very difficult."

While Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad have scored almost 1100 runs between them this year, the other CSK batsmen have been found slightly wanting. Moeen Ali, who had a great first half in India with the bat, has also struggled in the UAE.

Poll : Whom among the two should CSK play in the playoffs?

Suresh Raina

Robin Uthappa

108 votes

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