New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have endured one of their worst campaigns in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. It has been a season to forget for the five-time champions, who were the first team to be eliminated from the race for the playoffs this season and are currently languishing at the bottom of the points table with just three wins from 12 matches.
CSK got off to a winning start in IPL 2025, with a convincing victory over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening game of the season, but nothing seems to have been going right for the franchise ever since. CSK lost five out of their first six matches in IPL 2025 under skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, before an injury ruled him out of the tournament.
MS Dhoni was forced to take charge, but the legendary wicket-keeper batter failed to revive CSK’s fortunes as they have managed only two wins in six matches under him. With the season done and dusted, Dhoni outlined the franchise’s future plans during the toss ahead of his side’s clash against the Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Dhoni said that CSK’s remaining two matches of the season are all about finding the answers for the next season for them. The CSK skipper explained that they want to figure out who can be the right fit for which role for the next season to ensure they can plot a comeback next season. Dhoni also hinted about CSK’s auction plans ahead of IPL 2026.
“We want to express ourselves in our batting department. Need to figure out which individual will do well in which slot next year. Need to work on our bowling. Once we were out of the tournament, we wanted to find the answers for the next year. Need to look into the combination and a couple of players we can pick in the auction,” Dhoni said at the toss against RR on Tuesday.
Chennai Super Kings have been heavily criticised for some of their auction picks from last year and are expected to plan a major rebuild ahead of IPL 2026. CSK signed the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar, all of whom failed to deliver with the bat. The five-time champions also spent big on R Ashwin, but the veteran spinner has failed to repay the faith shown in him by the team management.
CSK’s replacement signings excelling in IPL 2025
Highlighting their failure at the auction table last year, CSK’s replacement signings like Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis and Urvil Patel have outshone some of their original signings after being roped in by the side midway through the season. While Mhate has made the opening slot his own with consistent performances, Urvil scored a quickfire 31 on his debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders in CSK’s last game.
Brevis has been the x-factor for the team in the middle order, providing them much-needed impetus with the bat. The South African batter has so far smashed 128 runs in four matches, including a blistering half-century in the last game against KKR. The trio might be retained by the franchise ahead of the new season after their impressive show.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni said the remaining two matches is all about finding answers for the next season after their disastrous campaign in IPL 2025. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
