In a hypothetical scenario of Samson being dismissed earlier in that game, Dube would still have had the luxury and clarity to go for his strokes, with Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel to follow. That however, wasn’t the case in IPL 2025, with Dhoni’s entry point almost fixed, and lack of support from the other end before that. It remains to be seen if his approach is altered (and to what extent) in the upcoming season, say if the entry point is at 100/2 after 10 overs and it becomes 110/4 after 12. CSK have Brevis in the middle-order, who has been striking at 171.78 against spin in T20s since 2025, and at 170 in the middle-overs in the timeframe, but one end has been enough to open it up for their opponents lately.
