Batting first was not a good idea: MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that opting to bat first in their IPL match against table toppers Gujarat Titans was not a good idea as his side lost by seven wickets on Sunday. Already out of contention for a play-off berth, CSK suffered their ninth loss of the season to remain rooted in ninth place in the standings. "Batting first wasn't a very good idea. It was tough to hit the faster bowlers in the first half, spinners-wise it was similar," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.

Read AlsoIPL 2022, CSK vs GT: Gujarat Titans tame Chennai Super Kings to secure top-two finish

Wriddhiman Saha's solid 67 not out after a top-class bowling performance set up Gujarat Titans' seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL on Sunday, securing a top-two finish in the team standings.

CSK posted 133 for 5 with opener Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scoring with a 49-ball 53. GT chased down the target with five balls to spare. "Sai bowled well. We could have pushed Shivam up but would have beaten the purpose of having Jaggi in the side. Had it been earlier in the tournament, it would have been a tactical move to have Shivam in. "With Pathirana, the margin of error is slim. He's got a good slower one and it will be tough to hit him if he bowls at a consistent pace. We will look to give people chances. "We are trying to feature a good XI and will look to do that in the coming games also," said the former India captain who scored seven off 10 balls. Titans captain Hardik Pandya said that the core group of players will play in the final league phase fixture even though they have qualified for the play-offs. "We'll see if any player requires rest otherwise we need to keep the momentum. The core group needs to be