Dhoni: No-balls and wides are hurting CSK 'really bad'

MS Dhoni isn't happy about the number of no-balls and wides his fast bowlers have bowled in Chennai Super Kings' two IPL 2023 matches so far. In their second game itself, against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday night, Super Kings' quicks sent down 13 wides and three no-balls.

"We are bowling too many extra deliveries," he said after the 12-run win on Monday night at Chepauk, and even mock-threatened his bowlers that "they will have to be ready to play under a new captain".

Deepak Chahar, the experienced name in the pace attack, bowled five wides (including three in a row in the 17th over) in the game against Super Giants, but didn't concede any extras in the first game, which Super Kings lost to Gujarat Titans. The two less-experienced quicks, Tushar Deshpande and Rajvardhan Hangargekar, have been consistent in giving away extra deliveries: Deshpande has a tally of five wides and four no-balls over two games, and Hangargekar six wides and one no-ball. No-balls, of course, come with free hits, and oppositions have slammed two fours and a six off those so far.

"It's the fast bowling that needs to slightly improve, and they need to bowl according to the conditions. Maybe, even if it's on the flatter side, have fielders and try to bowl in the areas where you are pushing the batsmen to hit over the fielders," Dhoni said in the post-match presentation on Monday. "Especially what is important is: keep an eye when we're batting, keep an eye what the opposition bowlers were doing, so it gives you an idea of what can be done, 'what can be my plan according to the strength I have or the pace I have'.

"One more thing is they will have to bowl maybe no no-balls and less wides. Because we are bowling too many extra deliveries. Or they will have to be ready to play under a new captain at some point of time. It will be my second warning and I'll be off," he said with a grin.

The message seems to have gone across loud and clear. When Deshpande spoke at the post-match press conference, he said, "Bowling a no-ball is a crime in T20 cricket."

On Monday, Dhoni used a total of seven bowlers, including one over each from Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja, and Super Kings gave away 205 after putting up 217. In the first game, though, he had used only five bowlers, not trying Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube (who didn't bowl in the second game either) or Stokes, who is still not 100% bowling fit. Hangargekar has played in both games ahead of swing bowler Simarjeet Singh, who had impressed in the six games he played last year.

"I feel he [Hangargekar] is very good potential, he has a bit of pace and the more exposure he gets the better he will get. So overall not disappointed," Dhoni had said after the first game. "I feel the bowlers did quite well looking at the conditions overall. No-ball is something, you know, they should try not to bowl. Because in modern cricket, no-ball is something that's in your control. And at the end of the day, it hurts you really bad. So it's important to control the no-balls."