Chennai Super Kings, one of the most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League history, have faced a historic decline in the 2025 season. After 10 matches, yellow men became the first team to officially get out of the playoff controversy – an unimaginable landscape for a team that was immersed in heritage and dominance.
With just two wins and eight defeats, this season has been the story of misfire, missed opportunities and miscols. In the early days of the campaign, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was hurt, causing his speed. Although fans found a flicker of hope when MS Dhoni withdrew the duties of captaincy, even the mythical figure could not weave his normal magic. CSK problems, however, are much deeper than a sudden change in leadership.
Stuck in the past
Despite bringing the mid-season signals such as Developed Bravis and Ayush Mahte, CSK married traditional strategies that are no longer feasible in modern T20 cricket. Their reluctance proved expensive to suit the high-risk, high-inam style that defines today’s IPL.
CSK has faced this season in many dazzling issues, their inability to capitalize on the powerplay stands out. Six out of ten times, CSK failed to cross 50 runs inside the first six overs – most by any team in this season. This year, their powerplay run rate in all teams is only 7.91.
A league was rapidly aggressive starting and defined by power-touching from the ball forest, the sluggish approach of CSK at the top repeatedly set him back. The reluctance to take the risk quickly meant that they were constantly playing catch-ups, causing their conservative mid-sequence.
While other teams started explosives, CSK remained conservative. In his 10 matches, he hit only sixth sixes in the powerplay, with matray accounting for two of them. His famous home forts were also broken in Chepack – this season lost five of the six matches played there.
Quiz: Who is that IPL player?
Batting has been his biggest lethargy. Till April 30 struggled against PBKS, CSK did not cross 200 while batting first. Their innings were often marked carefully rather than aggression, making it easier to apply pressure to the opposition parties.
Batting figures of top four CSK batsmen (2025 season)
Shivam Dub, Rachin Ravindra, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni have scored big scores and only three of them have been scored. These are not numbers that win the championship.
Spin without bite, speed without punchSpin, traditionally, failed to give this time in the cesk’s chapack, this time. Despite the presence of world class options like Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Noor Ahmed, the spin trio weakened. Noor made a strong start but dripped as the tournament proceeded. Jadeja and Ashwin, once trusted, failed to give a match-turning mantra.
Meanwhile, in the Pace Department, Khalel Ahmed was the only bright spark. He claimed eight wickets in the powerplay in nine innings – more than any other bowler during that phase of the season. He also bowled the highest amount of dot balls (106) this season. But a created star Matheesha Pathirana became a disappointment with high expectations.
CSK Bowling Summary (2025)
CSK Bowling States
Despite using 21 separate players in this season, CSK failed to find a winning combination.
Auction misunderstandings, strategic failuresAfter maintaining Ruturaj, Jadeja, Dhoni, Pathirana and Dubey, the expectations were Akash-high with a large-scale purse of Rs 55 crore. However, CSK’s auction strategy returned. He chased the familiar faces and ignored the emerging match-winner. The inability to land Deepak four was remarkable, but more and more was how he got almost every other player, for which he bid aggressively – only to see them underperform.
He chose explosions, ignoring more dynamic talents dominating the league, signing names like Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda.
A fading thunder in the cheepukThis year, the famous “Whistle Podu” in Chepuk was not about the chanting win – it was about MS Dhoni’s batting to bat. As the team kept losing, the mob found solitude to see their ‘Thala’, even though just for some delivery. For many fans, Dhoni is the same reason to make happy in an otherwise forgetable season.
Now not one stopMany fans want to write 2025 as a Vipathan. But this is CSK’s fourth unsuccessful campaign in six sessions:
2020 – Was not qualified
2022- Was not qualified
2024- Was not qualified
2025 – Was not qualified
The irony is that he won the IPL in 2021 and then in 2023 with the same squad that failed the weather before and after. This inconsistency suggests deep issues in strategy and execution.
What will happen next?
Big question: Will MS Dhoni return to one last storm in 2026, or is it finally time to move forward? Will CSK rebuild, renovate and embrace the new era of T20 cricket? Or will they stick to apathy and familiarity?
A franchise known for its stability is now at an intersection. Decisions made in the coming months may define the next decade of Chennai Super Kings cricket.
