MS Dhoni says the time has come to pass on the torch after Chennai's campaign this year

Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the time has come to hand over this team to next-generation after their consolation win over Punjab at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.  Even though the Yellow Army registered a hat-trick of wins (winning all their remaining three matches), it was just not enough to help them sail through to the last four. 

It is the first time that the MS Dhoni-led side have failed to make it to the playoffs since the inception of the marquee tournament in 2008.

'It's time to hand it over': MS Dhoni

"It was a difficult campaign. We committed a lot of errors. The last four games were a template of where we would like to be. Proud of the guys because if you are lagging behind for 7-8 games, it becomes really difficult. It is not easy, you will not want to be in a dressing room that's not enjoying cricket. Proud of them," said Dhoni during the post-match presentation.

"A lot depends on what BCCI decides about the auction. We need to slightly change our core group and looks for the next ten years. At the start of the IPL, we made a team that served us well for ten years. It's time to hand it over to the next generation," said Dhoni.

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Chennai sign off with a consolation win, eliminate Punjab

The coin landed in MSD's favour and he decided to chase. His decision was spot on as Punjab lost wickets at regular intervals but ended up posting a respectable total of 153/6 in their 20 overs riding on a quickfire unbeaten 30-ball 62 from Deepak Hooda. 

In reply, the three-time winners made the run chase look very easy as they reached the target in the penultimate over with 9 wickets in hand. By the virtue of this win, the former champions ended their campaign with a consolation win while the 2014 runners-up were eliminated from the competition as they need to win that match against Chennai to keep their playoff hopes alive.

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(With ANI Inputs)