Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan slammed Chennai Super Kings’ think tank after they suffered an eight-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Monday. Pathan questioned the management for not playing an extra batter after the pitch had assistance for the bowlers.

RR skipper Riyan Parag decided to bowl first and CSK batters were left tottering at 38-4 in the Powerplay overs. Sarfaraz Khan, who batted at number five, was used as an Impact Player in place of Ayush Mhatre after CSK were reeling at 19-3.

Khan was dismissed after scoring 12-ball 17 when he was plumbed in front of the wickets while trying to sweep Ravindra Jadeja.

Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “They brought in Sarfaraz in place of Ayush Mhatre. You need to keep an extra batter when you are batting first. Why was he not there at the start itself? Even Prashant Veer, whom you gave ₹14 crore, did not play. This means that you are still searching for your combination. Urvil Patel also didn’t find a place. I feel they should have gone with just Indian batters.”

Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson opened the innings for CSK with Ayush Mhatre batting at number three. However, Pathan reckons the CSK skipper should bat at one drop.

He added, “Chennai’s weakness got completely exposed. I had said that Ruturaj should bat at No. 3 because he can provide stability in case of an early wicket. If one of these two openers gets out, you have a young guy who plays fearlessly. He should play the same way. Ruturaj Gaikwad could have handled the pressure of back-to-back wickets.”

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Friday.