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Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings saw their playoff hopes, already hanging by a sorrowful thread, come to a definitive and disappointing end after their four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings on April 30. For a franchise renowned for its consistency, structure and winning DNA, this campaign was nothing short of a misfire.
While it would be easy to point fingers at an underwhelming mega auction or the absence of marquee names, CSK’s season unravelled due to a combination of tactical rigidity, underperformance from experienced players, and delayed trust in new talent. Here are five core reasons behind the franchise’s forgettable 2025 season:
1. Stubbornness Against Attacking Intent
In the modern era of T20 cricket, where teams routinely push scores beyond 220 and even flirt with 250, CSK’s batting approach felt stuck in a different age. Until the April 30 clash against PBKS, they hadn’t crossed 200 while batting first even once. Their lone 200+ score came in a chase – ironically, also against PBKS.
Also Read: IPL 2025: CSK first team out of playoffs race after home humbling by PBKS
Rather than lack of resources, the issue seemed to lie in the mindset. Apart from Shivam Dube and the ever-reliable, albeit 43-year-old, MS Dhoni, there was little visible power-hitting intent. CSK showed a hesitance to adapt and commit to the explosive, high-risk approach that the format now demands. In a tournament defined by fearlessness, CSK’s conservatism proved costly.
2. A Forgetful Mega Auction
Despite entering the mega auction with a hefty purse of Rs 55 crore – post retaining Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Matheesha Pathirana and Shivam Dube – CSK’s picks lacked star power or strategic edge. There were no true game-changers bought to reinforce their core.
In batting, the absence of explosive top-order recruits was glaring. Instead, they doubled down on familiar names like Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, while trying to plug gaps with players like Rahul Tripathi, better suited to the middle-order. Their overseas signings – barring the occasional spark from Noor Ahmed – failed to ignite matches.
On the bowling front too, CSK were toothless more often than not. Outside Pathirana (when fit) and flashes from Ahmed, the attack lacked sting, making it hard to defend even decent totals.
3. Consistent Captaincy Shifts
A big dent to CSK’s cohesion came from instability in leadership. Ruturaj Gaikwad, pegged as the long-term successor to Dhoni, was ruled out with injury early on, forcing Dhoni to step back into the captaincy role.
While few minds in cricket match Dhoni’s, the tactical tempo of modern T20s requires aggression and adaptability – things Dhoni has executed best when leading peak squads. This year, with an evolving team and unclear intent, the constant changes at the helm disrupted rhythm and clarity. Too many shifts in vision mid-season can derail even the best-laid plans.
4. Failure of the Veterans
Much of CSK’s history is built on the strength of their veterans — players who know how to win. But in 2025, those pillars simply didn’t deliver. Ravichandran Ashwin, a marquee addition at Rs 9.75 crore, managed just five wickets in seven games — a surprising return, especially considering the spin-friendly pitches at Chepauk.
Ravindra Jadeja, usually the heartbeat of CSK’s success stories, couldn’t summon his best either. With 183 runs and seven wickets from 10 games, the 36-year-old all-rounder had a quiet tournament by his standards.
When your senior-most players underwhelm, the burden on younger players increases – and for CSK, there were simply too few trusted fresh faces.
5. Lack of Faith in Youngsters
The 2025 season has been the year of the underdog and the unknown. From 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s historic ton to Priyansh Arya’s stunning knock against CSK, franchises that bet on youth reaped rich rewards. CSK, however, hesitated to take that plunge.
Only in the second half of the season did players like Shaikh Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre start getting meaningful opportunities. But debuting them as a new opening pair in the high-pressure backend of the season was too little, too late. The decision to back experience over exuberance may have worked in the past — but 2025 showed that the tide has turned. In a format where boldness is rewarded and in a season where young blood flourished across franchises, CSK’s conservatism once again came back to bite.
From their tactical inertia to poor auction strategies, leadership indecision, and veteran underperformance, the Chennai Super Kings simply couldn’t piece together the elements that have historically made them title contenders. With four games still remaining, the writing is already on the wall — it’s back to the drawing board for the Yellow Brigade.
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