Chennai Super Kings play a distinct brand of cricket. The openers provide a solid base, and the menacing middle order ensures that MS Dhoni delivers a grandstand finish. This formula worked well for them, even in IPL 2023, the season they lifted their fifth title. However, things aren’t the same anymore.
People change, strategies evolve, and CSK’s tried-and-tested formula isn’t yielding the desired results this time.
CSK’s chances of making it to the playoffs are extremely slim, and a defeat to Punjab Kings in Chennai will officially result in their early elimination from the tournament.
The big question: What’s going wrong for CSK? Is it the batting or the bowling? Let’s analyse.
Batting frailties
CSK’s run rate of 8.1 is by far the worst among the 10 teams this season. KKR are the second-worst, with a run rate of 9.0. While KKR are still averaging 180 runs per innings, CSK are managing only 162.
Despite poor overall numbers, there are instances of teams performing well in one of the three phases—powerplay, middle overs, or death overs. But CSK’s case is entirely different. They are the worst batting side overall and have the lowest run rate in each of the three phases.
Run rate in phases, CSK in IPL 2025
| Phase | Run rate | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Powerplay: Overs 1 to 6 | 7.9 | 10th |
| Middle overs: Overs 7 to 16 | 7.4 | 10th |
| Death overs: Overs 17 to 20 | 10.1 | 10th |
CSK’s powerplay run rate in IPL 2010 was 7.9, the same rate they are maintaining in IPL 2025. However, while they were ranked 4th in IPL 2010, they currently sit at 10th out of 10 teams in 2025. What’s more alarming is that Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, has hit more sixes in the powerplay in just three matches than the entire CSK batting lineup has managed in ten.
Inability to accelerate
In IPL 2025, 70 batters have faced more than 50 balls, and five of the bottom 15 players with the worst batting strike rates belong to CSK. No other team has more than two players in the worst 15 list.
| Batter | Balls | Runs | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahul Tripathi | 57 | 55 | 96.49 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 132 | 166 | 125.75 |
| Devon Conway | 74 | 94 | 127.02 |
| Rachin Ravindra | 149 | 191 | 128.18 |
| Vijay Shankar | 91 | 118 | 129.67 |
Except for Ravindra Jadeja, no other CSK players featured in the previous match. In their opening game against the Mumbai Indians, CSK were at 96/3 at the end of the 10th over, chasing 156. The batters then took 55 balls to score the remaining 60 runs, a warning sign that went unnoticed by the management. This was followed by a series of damaging defeats.
CSK’s damaging batting efforts
- Biggest defeat while chasing in Chennai – Lost by 50 runs to RCB
- Lowest total in Chennai – 103/9 vs KKR
- Losing all 10 wickets for the first time in 6 years in Chennai – 154 vs SRH
- The only team without a 200+ total while batting first in IPL 2025
Bowling issues
CSK have bowled first on six occasions, conceding above 200 only once. They have allowed scores of 155/9, 196/7, 182/9, 183/6, 219/6, and 166/7, winning just two of those matches, 156 vs MI and 167 vs LSG. In the three games where they batted first, CSK set targets of 104, 177 (in Mumbai), and 155, but their bowlers struggled to defend these totals. Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed have been the standout performers, while the rest of the bowlers haven’t made much impact.
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noor Ahmad | 9 | 14 | 8.0 |
| Khaleel Ahmed | 9 | 12 | 9.0 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 7 | 7 | 10.3 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 9 | 6 | 8.2 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 7 | 5 | 9.3 |
| Anshul Kamboj | e | 3 | 6.9 |
Pathirana’s dip in accuracy, coupled with the lack of wickets from the famed spin twins Jadeja and Ashwin, has resulted in CSK conceding above-par totals on several occasions.
Chennai Super Kings have used 21 players in IPL 2025, the highest among all teams, and have fielded the same lineup in consecutive matches only once.
Course corrections
CSK is attempting a course correction midway through the season. The five-time champions fielded five players under the age of 23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, marking the first-ever occurrence in their history. The first four players bought in the mega auction, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rachin Ravindra, did not start against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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