Chennai Super Kings have stuttered this season, with three straight defeats. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has had a far from perfect start with another tough outing at the Chepauk on Saturday. After an opening game win over the Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions have slumped into chaos. Once a fortress, Chennai has not been a hunting ground, with the hosts losing both games in IPL 2025.
Last Friday, it was Royal Challengers Bengaluru who breached the Chepauk fortress after 17 years. Now, Delhi Capitals have done that after 15 years. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side has struggled on the whole, and here we dissect the reasons behind their slump
Slow starts and failing openers
In the era of blazing starts, Chennai Super Kings have followed the template of stability. However, the openers have failed to muster any respectable partnership or total. In the four games, their powerplay scores read: 62/1, 30/3, 42/1 and 46/3. Their best opening partnership has been 14, a far cry from the successful partnerships of Gaikwad-Du Plessis and Gaikwad-Conway.
Middle order muddle
Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja. None of CSK’s middle-order batters have imposed themselves in the game. The only half-century scored by a CSK middle-order batter is by Shankar, who scored a 42-ball 50 against Delhi on Saturday. If CSK have to return to winning ways, the five-time champions need their batting to fire.
The MS Dhoni problem
CSK’s coaches believe MS Dhoni still provides invaluable input from behind the stumps. The fans flock in numbers to see Thala in action. But batting lower down the order, the 43-year-old adds little value to an already failing order. Dhoni has walked out to bat at No.9 once and No.7 twice, all while the game has been beyond CSK’s reach. Against Delhi on Saturday, Dhoni played a bizarre 26-ball 30 knock. And he remained unbeaten. He never looked even trying to chase down the 184-run target.
Questionable auction
CSK retained or bought back most of their core, but failed to plug major holes in their side. Having splurged heavily on Ashwin, the legend has so far failed to make a mark. Rahane’s aggressive batting is also a miss, while the Pacers have been lackluster at best.
Chepauk conundrum
Chepauk has been a bedrock of CSK’s dynasty, but over the past couple of seasons, the cracks have appeared. CSK have won 52 matches out of 78 at Chepauk. A spin haven, the surface has not played to Gaikwad and Co’s strengths, hurting their chances. In fact, CSK have the lowest strike rate against spin this season, hurting their batting. RCB and DC, both broke their long losing streaks at Chepauk in IPL 2025, betting against CSK’s spin.
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