Chennai Super Kings on
Sunday suffered their ninth loss of the season when Gujarat Titans defeated
them by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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Following the defeat, CSK
skipper MS Dhoni admitted that opting to bat first was a mistake. Already out
of the playoff race, CSK suffered their ninth loss of the season to remain
ninth in the points table.

Chennai Super Kings captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that opting to bat first in their IPL match
against table-toppers Gujarat Titans was not a good idea as his side lost by
seven wickets on Sunday. Already out of contention for a playoff berth, CSK
suffered their ninth loss of the season to remain rooted in ninth place in the
standings.

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“Batting first wasn’t a very
good idea. It was tough to hit the faster bowlers in the first half,
spinners-wise it was similar,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. CSK
posted 133 for 5 with opener Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scoring with a 49-ball 53. GT
chased down the target with five balls to spare.

“Sai bowled well. We could
have pushed Shivam up but would have beaten the purpose of having Jaggi in the
side. Had it been earlier in the tournament, it would have been a tactical move
to have Shivam in. “With Pathirana, the margin of error is slim. He’s got a
good slower one and it will be tough to hit him if he bowls consistent pace. We
will look to give people chances.

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“We are trying to feature a
good XI and will look to do that in the coming games also,” said the former
India captain who scored seven off 10 balls. Titans captain Hardik Pandya said
that the core group of players will play in the final league phase fixture even
though they have qualified for the play-offs.

“We’ll see if any player
requires rest otherwise we need to keep the momentum. The core group needs to
be intact. If fast bowlers need rest, we’ll rotate otherwise it’ll stay the
same,” he said. “You don’t get extra points for finishing early, so it is important
to win.” Asked about his captaincy, he said, “I did alright because having
played in the previous franchise where a lot of responsibility was given to the
players.

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“I have enjoyed
responsibility and it has helped me. Doing what I have done in the past has
helped. “Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) and me are very similar in mindset. We connect
without saying much.”