"We did not find the momentum from ball one" - Ravindra Jadeja blames too many wickets in powerplay for defeat against PBKS in IPL 2022 

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ravindra Jadeja was far from pleased with the performance of his IPL team's batting unit. The four-time champions slid to their third straight defeat of the season after losing to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 54 runs.

Chasing 181 for victory following a stellar comeback by the bowlers, CSK were never in the chase. Debutant Vaibhav Arora rattled the top order with his swing bowling and was well aided by the rest of the bowling group.

CSK lost four wickets in the powerplay. A valiant fifty by Shivam Dube spared them further humiliation but not another defeat. This marks CSK's worst start to any IPL season as they continue their search for points in the IPL point table.

Opining that 27-4 at the end of the powerplay was the primary reason behind the loss at the Brabourne Stadium, Ravindra Jadeja said during the post-match presentation:

"I think we lost too many wickets in the powerplay. We did not find the momentum from ball one, so we need to find ways to get better and come back stronger."

CSK's collapse in the powerplay began with the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 2021 IPL Orange Cap winner has endured a horrid start to the campaign. He has only been able to register nine runs across three matches so far.

Addressing Gaikwad's poor start to the season, Ravindra Jadeja added:

"We need to give him good confidence, we need to back him. We all know that he is a very good player, so we will continue to back him and I am sure he will come good. "

The 25-year-old went through a similar patch at the start of his IPL career in 2020 as well. His form will be a major factor in determining CSK's performance this season.

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"He has been batting really well" - Ravindra Jadeja on Shivam Dube

Apart from the death bowling by the overseas duo of Dwaine Pretorius and Chris Jordan, the only other positive for CSK in this match was Shivam Dube's knock. The all-rounder scored his second fifty of the season and was the top scorer in the second innings by a landslide margin.

Praising Dube's efforts with the bat, Ravindra Jadeja said:

"He has been batting really well and he batted well today too. I think keeping him in a good frame of mind would be the key."

The CSK skipper concluded by saying:

"Definitely, we will work hard and come back stronger."

According to the IPL 2022 schedule, CSK will next take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the DY Patil Stadium on April 9 (Saturday). They will be desperate to avoid the ignominy of losing four games on the trot.