'Shouldn't Go To Stage Where Dhoni Gets Banned': Virender Sehwag's Warning To CSK Bowlers

Former cricketer Virender Sehwag warned Chennai Super Kings bowlers over slow over-rate, saying MS Dhoni might face a ban if they keep bowling like this.

MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings are off to a good start in IPL, having won three out of their first five matches in Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), but poor bowling still remains a big challenge for the four-time IPL winners. The bowlers are still struggling a lot in comparison to their batters in any given match. Chennai Super Kings won a high-scoring thriller against Bangalore on Monday, but the match went down to the wire to last over despite CSK scoring 226 runs in first innings. Meanwhile, former cricketer Virender Sehwag has warned the CSK bowlers over slow over-rate, saying MS Dhoni might face a ban if they keep bowling like this.

If we look at the stats, this year, Chennai Super Kings bowlers have given a lot of extra runs. In their IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17th April, CSK bowlers gave away 11 extra runs, of which 6 were wides.

"Dhoni was not looking happy because he has mentioned it before that he wants the bowlers to reduce the number of no-balls and wides. CSK had bowled two-three years of extra and against RCB, they bowled another extra over. It shouldn't go to a stage where Dhoni gets banned and CSK has to take the field without their captain.

"With the kind of knee injury he has, it appears he might play only a handful of matches more anyway. He is constantly pushing himself but if his bowlers are bowling so many wides and no-balls, then Dhoni will have to take rest," said Sehwag. 

Sehwag said that the CSK bowling is weak this season.

"I'm saying from day 1 that CSK's bowling is weak. They need to work on that department. But what more can they do? They will have to use whatever resources they have this season. The bowlers have to be more accurate. If you look at their performance against RCB, they have bowled 30-35 dot balls, so they didn't let RCB score a run in six overs. Despite that, they ended up conceding 218 because they leaked far too many sixes and fours," said Sehwag.