You can plug a hole or two, but if majority does badly, it's difficult: Dhoni

A distraught Mahendra Singh Dhoni has expressed his helplessness at Chennai Super Kings' extended poor run in the ongoing IPL and said it's difficult for a team to get the desired result when four-five players lose form at the same time.

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CSK lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets here on Friday after another shoddy batting effort from the hosts, the result dealing a near-fatal blow to their play-off chances.

Bowled out for 154, CSK saw the visitors reach their target with eight balls to spare.

"In a tournament like this, if you have one or two areas where you can plug in the holes, it is good. But if majority of your players are not doing well, it becomes very difficult," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.

CSK, who are known to maintain continuity in team selections over the years, have fielded around 19 players in nine games so far, and Dhoni said he had no option but to explore various combinations.