Chennai Super Kings’ campaign in IPL 2025 came to an official end with a four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings. Chasing 191 to win, PBKS knocked CSK out of the tournament in the final over of the match at Chepauk Stadium. Speaking after CSK's eighth loss in ten matches, Dhoni admitted that the batting effort was good but fell short of what was needed. "I think the batting, yes, it was the first time when we had put enough runs on the board, but was it a par score? I feel [we were] slightly short," he said. He also pointed out the fielding errors during the second innings and added that it would have helped CSK's campaign. "A bit demanding from the batsmen, but I felt we could have got slightly more. That partnership between [Dewald] Brevis and Sam [Curran] was excellent. And I feel we need to take some catches because that really helps to take wickets, you can slow down the opposition," he said. At 126 for 3 after 14 overs, CSK were poised for a total beyond 200, largely due to the 78-run stand between Curran and Brevis. But once Brevis fell at the start of the 15th over, the innings lost momentum. Curran, after scoring 47-ball 88, got out in the 18th over. His departure triggered the collapse as Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed four wickets, including a hat-trick to restrict CSK to 190 in 19.2 overs. Also READ: Glenn Maxwell Ruled Out of IPL 2025 Due to Injury "Seven deliveries means a lot": CSK's batting collapse and fielding woes cost them Dhoni also pointed to the importance of not playing out the full quota of overs, especially in a high-scoring game where every ball matters. "Not to forget when it's a high-scoring games, we didn't play the last four deliveries and the second last over, we got four batsmen out, another three deliveries and in close games, seven deliveries means a lot," he said. CSK currently have the worst run rate (8.23) in the league. Early in the tournament, they shuffled the top order by bringing in youngsters like Shaik Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre. Despite the loss, Dhoni acknowledged one of the few positives- Sam Curran’s return to form. The England all-rounder had three single-digit scores before this knock, and Dhoni felt conditions finally favoured him. "Whenever he turns up, he wants to contribute, whether it's with the bat or with the ball. So unfortunately, so far, when we tried to give him a chance the wicket was on the slower side and he found it slightly difficult. But I felt today's wicket was one of the best that we have got in the tournament when it comes to the home venue. So I feel the wicket was really good and that's the reason I felt we needed another 15 runs," he said. CSK will return to action on Saturday, May 3, where they will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the second time in the season.