Chennai Super Kings‘ elimination from IPL 2025 was confirmed after a crushing defeat at home against Punjab Kings — a result that saw the five-time champions become the first team to be knocked out this season.
What started on a promising note — a victory over Mumbai Indians at Chepauk — soon turned into a nightmare. With two victories from ten games, CSK are at the bottom of the table, having one of their worst seasons ever.
This season has been nothing short of a disaster for the yellow brigade. From inconsistent performances and unfortunate injuries to questionable recruitment strategies, multiple factors have combined to derail their campaign. Even the return of MS Dhoni to captaincy — following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season-ending injury — failed to inspire a turnaround.
If we look at CSK’s collapse in detail, a multi-layered image of mistakes and stagnation emerges. CSK great Suresh Raina was shocked and stated that he never witnessed CSK like they are this season. His opinion reflected the sentiments of millions of fans.
Placing too much emphasis on MS Dhoni’s captaincy
At 43, MS Dhoni once again found himself leading the team — a decision prompted by Gaikwad’s injury. Though Dhoni’s legacy and strategic mind cannot be matched, the overdependence on his presence and aura indicates a failure in leadership succession planning by the franchise.
Dhoni’s occasional fireworks — like his 11 off 4 balls against Punjab — provided brief hope, but CSK’s outdated approach of banking on one man’s magic has been exposed. The team’s reluctance to groom a young leader has hurt their ability to regroup when things go south — something that was evident throughout the season.
Nostalgia-driven auction failure
The 2025 auction was a strategic miss for CSK. Rather than planning for the future, the franchise appeared to spend on the basis of reputation over past performances. Expensive buys such as Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 9.75 Cr), Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tripathi have not paid off — with only Noor Ahmad (Rs 10 Cr) displaying hints of worth.
Head coach Stephen Fleming acknowledged the misstep, admitting: “We got a few things wrong. Other teams were sharper in the auction.” Critics — including former CSK stalwarts like Harbhajan Singh — have pointed fingers at the scouting department for falling behind the evolving T20 curve.
In spite of a good purse, CSK let go of game-changing options such as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, demonstrating a lack of strategic vision that has plagued them throughout the season.
Disappointing performances from key players
Apart from injuries and auction blunders, CSK was disappointed by star players not performing:
- Rachin Ravindra – 191 runs, SR 128.18
- Devon Conway – 94 runs, SR 127.02
- Rahul Tripathi – 55 runs, SR 96.49
- Ravindra Jadeja – 166 runs, SR 125.75
The team’s conservative batting style — once effective in earlier IPL eras — looks outdated in 2025. With the lowest run rate in the league (8.23) and just one 200-plus score in 10 games, CSK’s batting has lacked aggression, intent, and modern-day fluency. Frequent middle-order collapses and a weak powerplay performance have compounded their woes.
If the Super Kings are to rise again, a transformation is required — in vision, hiring, and thinking tactically. The dynasty is not irreparable, but it has to face the stark realities of its current state to restore the glories of the past.