Chennai Super Kings have hit a trough with three back-to-back losses and will be desperate to regain their winning ways in their last league match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A victory will be immensely beneficial to the two-time Indian Premier League champions as it will not only improve their position in the eight-team table but also put them in good stead ahead of the playoffs beginning next week.
With 16 points from 13 matches, they are currently placed second, but Kolkata Knight Riders (16 from 13 matches) are fast closing in and eyeing a top-two finish.
If Chennai lose, they might end up fourth but if they win, they can harbour hopes of a better position.
Chennai’s bowling has lacked bite and fielding has been abysmal leading to big defeats in their last three matches – by six wickets to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ranchi on Thursday, by eight wickets to Kolkata Knight Riders and by five wickets to Bangalore.
It is the margin of defeats that is rankling captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni the most.
He said: “I think it’s something that we have to end [the losing streak]. Some of the surfaces we have played have been very good for batting. We’ve lost those matches easily and that’s a bit of a worry.”
David Hussey, who replaced the injured West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo in the Chennai squad earlier this week, admits they need to get their act right soon.
Hussey justified his selection with a 33-ball 50 not out in his second match of IPL7 against Hyderabad but ended up on the losing side.
The Aussie all-rounder said: “It is nice to contribute to the team, but it is disappointing that we lost. There are a lot of positives to take from that as well.
“We have another game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and we have got to focus on that. We need to pull our socks a little bit and hopefully we can finish among the top two.”
While Chennai have a lot riding on this game, rivals Bangalore have nothing to lose after being knocked out of the playoff race.
Despite possessing the most powerful line-up in Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh, Bangalore have failed to create the desired impact winning just five matches out of 13 played so far.
However, their fans have stayed loyal turning out in large numbers every time they have played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. A full house is expected today too and Bangalore will be keen to sign off the league at home with a win.
