3 min readUpdated: Mar 16, 2026 03:59 PM IST
MS Dhoni’s tactical brilliance and uber-cool character have seldom been tested like they were during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2014. After losing two successive finals post the double in 2010-11, Dhoni’s yellow army was aiming to make yet another summit clash after making it into the Playoffs. They took out defending champs Mumbai Indians in the eliminator and ran into the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), again.
Their last two meetings in a season where the Punjab batting were running haywire saw CSK’s limited bowling stocks concede 200-plus runs in successive defeats. Come a qualifier 2 contest at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Dhoni was all but prepared to see his bowlers being peppered yet again. What he wasn’t ready for was some atrocious decisions made by his senior-m0st teammates.
Dhoni’s veiled attack was directed at a phase that was headlined by New Zealand veteran Brendon McCullum for all the wrong reasons.
After a whirlwind Virender Sehwag knock rolled back the years — his career-best 122 powered Punjab to 226 for six – CSK’s comeback hopes rest heavily on an all-timer knock from Suresh Raina. Raina shattered all existing records with a whopping 87 in only 24 balls within the Powerplay, his 12 fours and six sixes meant CSK had become the first team to ever score 100 runs within the first six overs. But hopes fell flat soon after as Raina was dismissed off the first ball of the seventh over, sucked into confusion and a run-out involving McCullum.
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McCullum, who made only 11 runs off 16 balls, would soon follow Raina. He would run himself out too and CSK would eventually fall short by 24 runs and exit the tournament.
‘Irresponsible’
While he hailed Raina’s epic knock that handed them hope, Dhoni minced no words while reflecting on the reasons for the defeat. “I think definitely it (227) was something we could have achieved, the reason being Suresh the way he batted, I think in the middle overs there was some very irresponsible cricket by some of the most experienced international cricketers, so I think definitely we need to have a look, in a game like this when the stakes are high, you can’t really commit mistakes,” said Dhoni.
While Punjab had smoked the CSK bowlers for 200-plus for the third time in a row, Dhoni lent a sarcastic touch to explain the plight of his bowling attack.
“I had the belief in my bowling that they will let them score more than 200 runs. But we need to give them (Punjab) credit, they batted well,” Dhoni cheekily said.
