Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said on Friday that skipper MS Dhoni is ‘pretty sick’ as he is down with fever and that was the reason why he missed the IPL 2019 encounter against Mumbai Indians.

“They (Dhoni and Jadeja) both are pretty sick... both unwell, virus and bacteria... A lot of teams are struggling at the moment through that,” said Fleming giving an update on Dhoni and Jadeja.

This is the second time Dhoni missed a CSK game this season -- the first being against Sunrisers Hyderabad because of back spasms. The three-time Indian Premier League winners lost that match.

With Dhoni missing out due to sickness, Chennai Super Kings failed to chase down 156-run target set by Mumbai Indians, bundling out for 109, their lowest total at home.

“It was a massive boost that MSD (Dhoni) wasn’t around. Because his presence does a lot for their team. When you don’t have Dhoni when they’re chasing the score, then it becomes difficult for them,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

The absence of MS Dhoni’s ‘comforting’ presence in the middle was a void Chennai Super Kings found too difficult to fill, coach Stephen Fleming said after the defeat.

“Yeah sure, think you know the answer to that. Dhoni is a great leader and a great player. He’s been a constant for us for so many years. You just get into the rhythm while having him there. When you take a leader like that out, there are going to be some holes to fill. It’s not that we’re not trying to fill it. It’s just that the hole is quite big,” he said.

(With agency inputs)

First Published: Apr 27, 2019 16:38 IST