Chennai Super Kings shouldn’t think twice before dropping out of form batters Deepak Hooda and Rahul Tripathi from their playing XI on Sunday. The duo, who are recent additions to the squad in IPL 2025, have failed to fire in two out of two games they’ve played so far. Their inefficieny has left Gaikwad and co. reeling, putting immense pressure on the rest of the batters.
Why CSK need to drop Tripathi & Hooda
Tripathi has been an absolute failure as CSK’s opener so far in IPL 2025. In both games against MI and RCB, he has managed to score single-digit knocks of 2 & 5 respectively. Gaikwad and co. have made tactical blunders by allowing Rahul to open the innings when he is more accustoned to batting in the middle-order.
As a result, CSK have felt enormous pressure on the rest of the batters, including the captain, as a spot has been unecessarily occupied by a pretty much useless fill-in opener.
Another batter who has been extremely poor is Hooda. Coming in to bat in the middle-order, he has scored just 3 & 4 in two games so far. While he does boast of vast experience in the IPL, he is simply out of form in this season. In fact, he could pave way for the inclusion of a benched Vijay Shankar who has the ability to fire in the middle-order.
| Player | Matches | Scores |
| Rahul Tripathi | 2 | 2 & 5 |
| Deepak Hooda | 2 | 3 & 4 |
What CSK can do different instead
By dropping Tripathi, CSK can allow the successful opening combo of Gaikwad and Conway to reunite. The duo have tasted success in the past and in fact, emerged as one of the best opening pairs for the five-time champions. The move will allow Gaikwad to return to a position where he is more comfortable batting at. It will also save CSK a wicket.
This means Rachin can move to number 3, a position that he has batted at previously. By dropping Hooda, Shankar can be included in the side, which will also give CSK an advantage with the ball. On a slow-paced Guwahati track which will favour spinners and medium pacers, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder could come of good use for the side. In terms of batting,
