Despondent after the loss to Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash here on Friday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni asserted that his team need to pick up their socks in the knockout stages.

Needing 163 runs for a win, the CSK chase never really took off as they fell short by 34 runs at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

“Keep strengthening what your strengths are, at the same time also strengthen your weaknesses. We also want to improve in certain areas,” Dhoni said after the game.

Also read: Match 52 (DD vs CSK) – Hits and Flops

“They need to be mentally ready for this than physically. I think apart from that, we are doing well. If we get our death bowling sorted out, it will be very good. Still have one more game and then into the eliminators (playoffs), so let’s see. (On death bowling worries) We’ll try to manage it, that’s what the reality is,” he added.

Despite the loss, CSK continues to hold on to the second spot on the IPL table with 16 points.

With a spot in the top two already assured, CSK have already qualified for the play-offs.

Admitting that the CSK batsmen should have done better, Dhoni praised the Delhi bowlers for their performance on Friday.

“I think the wicket slightly got more difficult in the second half. I think it was evident, nobody was middling it well in our innings,” he said.

“Wicket kept getting slower and slower. Their bowlers also bowled really well,” he added.

Also read: Match 52 (DD vs CSK) – Turning Point of the Match

Coming to the match, CSK skipper decided to field first after winning the toss. Despite the initial struggle, DD managed to put 162/5 on the board in 20 overs after the superb late batting performance.

In reply, CSK batsmen failed to chase that target as Delhi restricted them for 128/6 at the end of 20 overs.