New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowed out of the race for the playoffs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after a close 4-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at their home on Wednesday. Yuzvendra Chahal’s hat-trick, followed by two exceptional half-centuries from opener Prabhsimran Singh and skipper Shreyas Iyer steered PBKS home in a tricky chase, confirming CSK’s early exit from the playoffs race.
CSK slipped to their third defeat in a row and the 8th overall this season as they languish at the bottom of the table with just four points from two wins after 10 matches. On Wednesday, there was a glimmer of hope for the Men in Yellow when Sam Curran bailed the hosts out of trouble after a woeful start and set the stage for a big total with his cracking 47-ball 88.
But after Curran’s dismissal, CSK lost their last five wickets for just 18 runs, suffering a mini-collapse and getting bowled out for 190, arguably 10-15 short of where they should have been. CSK were bowled out for only the fourth time at the Chepauk and the second time this season, symbolising their spectacular downfall and their unfathomable failure at defending their fortress.
From questionable auction picks to their batting woes across Powerplay and middle order, and their shoddy fielding, barely anything has gone right for the five-time champions this season. CSK, a team that has tasted immense success on tried and tested formulas with regards to squad formation, has been handed a stark reminder that the game has evolved and moved on.
Their tested formula of backing experience over young blood and going for only tried and tested commodities might have yielded great results in the past and till very recently. But the dynamics have changed, and nearly all teams have adopted, but one. A lot has gone wrong for CSK this season, but there are a few major reasons behind their disastrous season. Let’s dive down.
4 reasons behind CSK’s catastrophic season:
1) Powerplay woes
CSK’s Powerplay woes have been left exposed this season amid the failure to find a settled opening combination. After Ruturaj Gaikwad decided to bat at no.3 this season, CSK tried different combinations at the top, but none of them worked. Rachin Ravindra was given a long rope, but failed to deliver consistently, while the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Devon Conway also failed to settle in.
CSK eventually had to settle for two talented youngsters in Shaikh Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre, both of whom earned their IPL debuts this season. While the duo did raise the intent quotient, CSK barely managed to capitalise on Powerplays. Mhatre did show spark in his first couple of innings, but Rashid failed miserably in complementing him from the other end.
As a result of their top-order frailties, CSK have the worst record in the Powerplay in IPL 2025. Their run rate of 7.9 in the Powerplay is the worst among all ten teams, and they have hit only six sixes in the Powerplay this season, the lowest among all teams. CSK have a ball-to-boundary percentage of 5.1, which is also the worst in the league this season.
Most successful teams this season have done well in the Powerplay and capitalised with the bat in the first six overs to get a strong head start. But CSK have consistently failed to do so, and as a result of that, their batting struggles have magnified, resulting in one terrible show after another.
2) Struggling batting line-up
While CSK have failed to make the most of the Powerplay, their numbers in the middle order have also been far from impressive. The five-time champions have, over the years, boasted of a solid middle order with prominent Indian names featuring. However, that hasn’t been the case this season. While Shivam Dube has not fired, the likes of Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar have failed to make any sort of impact.
Ravindra Jadeja has often struggled to accelerate, while MS Dhoni has not consistently managed to produce finishing cameos that he used to. CSK’s run rate of 8.23 is the worst among all ten teams this season. While they have scored at less than 8 runs per over in the Powerplay, their run rate is similar in the middle overs (7-15), a huge concern for the team and the management.
While other teams have posted 200-plus totals for fun once again this season, CSK have managed to breach the 200-run mark, which was in a losing cause in a 220-run chase against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. CSK’s 190 against PBKS at home on Wednesday was the highest total, batting first this season, highlighting their batting woes.
3) Poor fielding
Chennai Super Kings have arguably been the worst batting side in the IPL 2025 so far, but they aren’t too far off from being the worst fielding team as well. Throughout the season, CSK players have dropped a plethora of regulation catches and made some costly errors on the field, resulting in the opposition gaining momentum at crucial junctures.
Catches win Matches might be an age-old cliche, but it stands true in all eras. And CSK have dropped enough of them to be on the receiving end. CSK have dropped as many as 17 catches in 10 matches so far this season, the second-highest, behind only Rajasthan Royals, who have dropped 18. The significant dip in fielding standards have hurt CSK badly and has contributed to their struggles in IPL 2025.
4) Questionable auction buys
CSK are a team and a brand built on trust and loyalty. When MS Dhoni was in charge, he was the major guiding force behind how the squad was selected, managed and how they performed on the field. But with Ruturaj Gaikwad in charge now, Dhoni has taken a backseat and rightfully so. However, CSK’S unwillingness in moving on from a tested formula that worked wonders under Dhoni, has ended up costing them heavily in IPL 2025.
The game has changed, and so have strategies. CSK’s stubbornness in not fueling the team with young blood and not trying to build for the future has left them in an unattainable position this season. Their struggles this season have put their auction buys under the scanner. From the decision to go for outdated batters like Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi and Vijay Shanakar to spending nearly Rs 10 crore on R Ashwin, CSK would look back and feel they made some woeful calls at the auction table last year.
It was a golden opportunity for the five-time champions to build for the future, but their strategy ended up backfiring spectaculary this season, leaving them with a major overhaul to plan for ahead of IPL 2026. Though, he hasn’t still ben hugely critical of CSK’s batting struggles this season and has refused to acknowledged the game has evolved rapidly, head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t shy away from acknowleding the franchise’s failiue at the IPL 2025 mega auction, that he was part of.
“It’s hard to say. We got it completely right with the performances that we’ve had. So we have been looking over that in detail, just around our style of play. Also looking at how the game is evolving, and it’s not easy,” said Fleming recently.
CSK’s poor auction and the lack of quality batters in the squad has made Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, two mid-season signings appear to be their best batters in the squad at the moment after an injury to Gaikwad. The five-time champions will be hoping to test out their entire squad in their remaining games this season in order to decide who they want to retain ahead of IPL 2026.
MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings were knocked out of the race for playoffs in IPL 2025 after a 4-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings at home on Wednesday. With only two wins in ten matches, CSK have endured one of their worst campaigns in the IPL and nothing seems to be going right for the team at present. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
