The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), also known as the “Men in Yellow,” are renowned for being one of the most consistent teams in the tournament. However, in this season, the team has not delivered up to mark and currently sit at the bottom of the points table, having won just 2 out of 8 matches played so far.
Former CSK legend Suresh Raina has pointed out the team’s poor performance to mistakes made by the coach and management during the IPL 2025 auction. Speaking at a press conference with Star Sports, Raina stated that poor choices at the auction table are the main reason for CSK’s struggles this season. He pointed out that several young and talented players were available in the auction—such as Punjab’s Priyansh Arya, who debuted with a century against CSK. “I have never seen CSK struggle like this,” he said.
Raina, who played a key role in many of CSK’s past victories, added that fans are used to seeing the team perform so badly.
He made these remarks during a post-match TV show following another disappointing loss for CSK against Mumbai, who defeated them by 9 wickets.
At the same time, Harbhajan Singh also commented, “This has always been a top team, but during the auction, like you mentioned, they passed on big names – they didn’t pick Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul. Among the young players selected, none seem capable of delivering match-changing performances.”
CSK are also missing their regular captain and top-order batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to an elbow injury. Currently, MS Dhoni is leading the team for the rest of the matches this season.