Having the oldest core team in the IPL makes Chennai Super Kings susceptible to bleeding runs on the field but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the side more than makes up for it with its bowling and batting.
Chennai won their second successive IPL match, beating Delhi Capitals by six wickets here on Tuesday night.
“We are well covered in other areas. (But) We will never be a great fielding side; we can be a safe fielding side. We might bleed a few runs here and there, but as long as we use our experience, we'll make it up with our batting and bowling,” Dhoni said in the post-match presentation.
“You don't want the XI to push too hard and get injured. We haven't done well at the death, so plenty of areas to work on. But still, it is a good victory,” he added.
The CSK core is mostly in its 30s. Dhoni is 37, Shane Watson is 35 while Dwayne Bravo is 34. The other core members include 39-year-old Imran Tahir, 38-year-old Harbhajan Singh, 34-year-old Faf du Plessis, 33-year-old Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav, and soon-to-be 32, Suresh Raina.
Dhoni praised his bowlers for restricting Delhi Capitals to a low score.
“The wicket turned more than expected in the first innings. In the second innings, there was enough dew to make it slightly easier to bat on. I thought the bowlers did very well to restrict Delhi to 147,” he said.