CSK's battle in IPL 2025: Batting or bowling? What do they hold back? | Mint

Chennai Super Kings plays a clear cricket mark. The openers offer a solid base, and the threatening middle order ensures that MS Dhoni finishes the vibration. This formula worked well for them, even in IPL 2023, the season they lifted their fifth title. However, things are no longer the same. People change, develop strategies, and CSK’s proven formula does not produce the desired results this time. CSK’s chances of coming to the playoffs are exceptionally slim, and a defeat to Punjab Kings in Chennai will officially result in their early elimination of the tournament. The big question: What’s going wrong for CSK? Is it the bat or bowling? Let us analyze. The pitch of CSK’s running rate of 8.1 is by far the worst among the ten teams this season. KKR is the second worst, with a running rate of 9.0. While KKR is still an average of 180 runs per innings, CSK only runs 162. Despite poor overall numbers, there are cases of teams performing well in one of the three phases – PowerPlay, Middle Obswing of Death Lles. But the case of CSK is completely different. It is the worst batting side in the whole and has the lowest running rate in each of the three phases. Run tariff in phases, CSK in IPL 2025 Phase Run Porplay: Over 1 to 6 7.9 10th Amidbuilding: Over 7 to 16 7.4 10th Death Obsit: Overview 17 to 20 10.1 10th CSK’s PowerPlay rate in IPL 2010 was 7.9, the same rate they retained in IPL 2025. It is uneasy that Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, hit more sixes in the PowerPlay in just three games than the entire CSK batting set up in ten. The inability to accelerate in IPL 2025 faced 70 fighters with more than 50 balls, and five of the bottom 15 players with the worst batting rates belong to CSK. No other team has more than two players in the worst 15 list. Consistency balls run strike Rate Rahul Tripathi 57 55 96.49 Ravindra Jadeja 132 166 125.75 Devon Conway 74 94 127.02 Rachin RAVDRA 149 191 128.18 Vijay Shankar 91 118 129.67 Except for Ravindra Jadeja, no other CSK players in the previous match. In their opening match against the Mumbai Indians, CSK was at the end of 10th place at 96/3, and chased 156. The fighters then took 55 balls to score the remaining 60 runs, a warning sign that had been unnoticed by management. This was followed by a series of harmful defeats. CSK’s harmful batting efforts largest defeat while chasing in Chennai – with 50 runs to RCB lowest total in Chennai – 103/9 vs KKR who lost 10 wickets for the first time in 6 years in Chennai – 154 vs SRH the only team without a total of the first place, while he was first in the above bowling. They allowed scores of 155/9, 196/7, 182/9, 183/6, 219/6 and 166/7 and won just two of the matches, 156 vs MI and 167 vs LSG. In the three games where they first batted, CSK set targets of 104, 177 (in Mumbai) and 155, but their bowlers struggled to defend this total. Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed were the striking artists, while the rest of the bowlers did not make much impact. Player fits wickets Economics Norc Ahmad 9 14 8.0 Khaleel Ahmed 9 12 9.0 Matheesha Pathirana 7 7 10.3 Ravindra Jadeja 9 6 8.2 Ravichandran Ashwin 7 5 9.3 Anshul Kamboj e 3 6.9 Pathirana’s dipping in accuracy, along with the lack of wickets from the award -winning jade and Ashwin, resulted in succession over-par total on several occasions. Chennai Super Kings used 21 players in IPL 2025, the highest among all teams, and held the same series in consecutive games only once. Course Corrections CSK Try a course correction halfway through the season. The five -time champions placed five players under the age of 23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who were the first time in their history. The first four players bought at the Mega Auction, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rachin Ravindra, did not start against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Stay up to date with all the actions from the IPL 2025. Look at the IPL 2025 schedule, follow the latest IPL 2025 points table and follow the top performers with the orange cap and purple cap. First published: 30 Apr 2025, 04:17 PM IST