This past Sunday, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced another tough blow in IPL 2025, marking their sixth loss in just eight matches. They were beaten by the Mumbai Indians (MI) by nine wickets, which leaves CSK sitting at the very bottom of the points table. With each passing game, their chances of making it to the playoffs seem slimmer and slimmer. It’s been pretty clear that both their batting and bowling haven’t been up to scratch, which has left fans and former players scratching their heads.
One of those former players is CSK legend Suresh Raina. He didn’t hold back his thoughts on the team’s strategy, especially regarding the recent mega auction. Speaking on Star Sports, Raina expressed his disappointment, saying, I feel that CSK’s auction wasn’t good. There are so many youngsters and talents in the auction. Where are they? He was clearly frustrated that the team didn’t make the most of the opportunity to bring in fresh talent.
CSK had a budget of Rs 55 crore going into the auction, and while they did splurge on Noor Ahmad for Rs 10 crore and R Ashwin for Rs 9.75 crore, Raina thought they missed the bus on some big names like Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. He remarked, You took so much money into the auction, but you let go of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. I’ve never seen CSK struggle like this. His point hit hard, as this kind of performance isn’t what fans expect from a team with such a strong history.
Harbhajan Singh, another former CSK player, echoed Raina’s concerns. He pointed out that the youngsters in the lineup don’t seem capable of stepping up and delivering those game-changing innings that can turn a match around. Harbhajan questioned the talent scouts, saying, Even the CSK youngsters don’t seem to be ones who can play a game-changing innings. Whoever talent-hunted for CSK should be questioned where they got their information from for these players. It’s a tough critique, but it shows just how seriously fans and former players are taking this lack of performance.
On the other hand, Noor has been a bright spot for CSK, grabbing 12 wickets in eight matches, which is impressive for anyone, especially a newcomer. Unfortunately, other key signings have yet to make a similar impact. R Ashwin has been inconsistent, getting shuffled in and out of the team. And then there are players like Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tripathi, who have all struggled to find their form. Even someone like Ravindra Jadeja, who was retained for a whopping Rs 18 crore, hasn’t been living up to expectations either.
So, there’s a lot to think about for CSK moving forward. As fans watch their team continue down a shaky path, they can’t help but wonder what changes might be made to turn this season around before it’s too late.
