For the first time in their storied IPL journey of 16 years, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finished at the bottom of the points table. In a season where nearly every franchise had at least one moment of resurgence, CSK were the lone team that never got going. From game one to game fourteen, CSK’s 2025 campaign was a massive underachievement. With tactical fouls, an ageing squad and failure to adapt, the 5-time champions played like minnows.
While Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad blew hot and cold, they at least showed intent. CSK, in contrast, limped through the tournament, finishing with just four wins and firmly anchored to the bottom of the table.
CSK Retained players ahead of IPL 2025
| Player | Price |
|---|---|
| MS Dhoni (Uncapped) | ₹4 Cr |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | ₹18 Cr |
| Matheesha Pathirana | ₹13 Cr |
| Shivam Dube | ₹12 Cr |
| Ravindra Jadeja | ₹18 Cr |
CSK released players ahead of IPL 2025
Ajay Mandal, Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Maheesh Theekshana, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Mukesh Choudhary, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Shaik Rasheed, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman*, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
Even before the IPL 2025, CSK were behind the rest of the teams, as they had questionable IPL auction plans. Since decades, they have a set plan of buying back their older stars – a move that just didn’t work out this time around. They bought back Devon Conway, Mukesh Choudhary, Shaik Rasheed (good purchase) and Rachin Ravindra (good purchase) despite knowing that with these guys, CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs in the preceding season too.
What went wrong for CSK at IPL 2025?
Worst batting unit at IPL 2025
As teams regularly pushed 220+, CSK remained rooted in a conservative approach. Their batters failed to set or chase big totals, managing to breach 200 only twice, both while chasing. The opening combos, led by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra or Rahul Tripathi and Rachin/Conway, lacked intent.
In fact, they were the worst-performing batting unit in the powerplay, something that MS Dhoni mentioned mid-season as well. They scored the fewest runs (693) at a tenth-worst economy rate of 137.50 in the first six overs. Not to mention, CSK also lost 29 wickets in the process. That is basically an average score of 49/2 in every game inside the powerplay.
Overall, CSK batters scored 2315 runs in the entire tournament at an ordinary strike rate of 138.29, which is also the lowest. The next worst is KKR with an SR of 143.20. This is despite CSK faced the most deliveries (1674) in the tournament (till Match 69).
Awful auction strategy
With a mega purse of ₹55 crore, CSK had the chance to rebuild. But instead of fresh faces, they doubled down on experience. Players like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar and Ravichandran Ashwin added little value. The failure to invest in power hitters or strike bowlers cost them dearly. Even in the bowling, they banked too much on Jadeja and Pathirana, both of whom were mediocre at best.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury mid-season forced MS Dhoni back into captaincy duties. While Dhoni remains tactically astute, his presence couldn’t inspire the squad’s deep flaws. This also put unwanted pressure on Dhoni, who himself looked like a liability with the bat at one point.
Jadeja and Ashwin — the spine of CSK’s spin attack — combined for just 17 wickets across 23 innings. With the bat, Jadeja was decent but far from his peak. Dhoni, though still impactful behind the stumps, struggled to accelerate in crunch moments.
CSK Review (4/10)
Positives for CSK
- Noor Ahmad’s emergence: 24 wickets at 17.00; CSK’s best player by a distance
- Replacement stars step up: Dewald Brevis (225 runs at 180 SR), Ayush Mhatre (240 runs), and Urvil Patel impressed
- Khaleel Ahmed’s revival: 15 wickets despite a poor economy
- Anshul Kamboj’s promise: 8 wickets in 8 games — potential long-term pacer
Negatives for CSK
- MS Dhoni’s batting decline: 196 runs at 135 SR without a fifty
- Ravindra Jadeja’s dip: He is just not worth INR 18 crore.
- Flop signings: Tripathi, Ashwin, Conway, Shankar and Hooda failed to justify their selection
- Bowling letdowns: Pathirana (10.13 econ), Sam Curran (133 avg per wicket) exposed CSK’s soft underbelly.
CSK squad for IPL 2025
MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Dewald Brevis, Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Anshul Kamboj, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, and Shreyas Gopal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Gurjapneet Singh
It’s time for tough decisions. CSK need to break free from their nostalgia trap. While Dhoni’s future is uncertain, they must build around young guns like Mhatre, Noor, and Brevis. An overhaul is needed — both in strategy and squad — with particular focus on power-hitters and wicket-taking quicks.
