IPL 2021: MS Dhoni ‘unhappy’ with 7.30 PM start for IPL 2021 games, terms it unfair for teams batting first: After suffering a loss in their maiden IPL 2021 game against Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni expressed unhappiness with the starting time for night matches in this year’s edition of the league.
“…when you have dew in your mind and you are batting first, you want to get those extra 10-15 runs. That was normally (the case) in 8 PM start games. 7:30 start means the opposition will have at least half an hour when there will be a very little amount of dew on the field, which means it will not come on as nicely as it will in the second innings,” Dhoni told the broadcasters Star Sports in a post-match interview.
“So you have to score those 15-20 extra runs to make it even, and after that also you have to get early wickets to make a big mark on the game,” the CSK skipper added.
IPL 2021 – MS Dhoni ‘unhappy’: Dew factor played on minds of players
Dhoni was referring to the fact that his team lost two early wickets – Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad – at the start of their innings. After that, Moeen Ali and Suresh Raina put the side back on the track.
MSD feels his side were at a distinct disadvantage due to the start time and batting first. He also thinks they did a pretty good job in reaching the score of 188/7.
“Dew was one factor that was playing on our minds right from the start. That is the reason why we wanted to get as many runs as possible. Looking at the wicket, our batters did a very good job to reach 188 because (in) the first few overs, the wicket was a bit tacky, till the dew set in, which was a good 45 to 50 minutes after the start of the game,” MS Dhoni explained in the interview.