After suffering three losses in four games, the Chennai Super Kings have dropped down to the ninth spot in the IPL 2025 points table. Although they kicked off their season with a win against the Mumbai Indians at home, things have gone downhill since then, with defeats against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals. Out of these, two losses happened right at their home ground, Chepauk.
One main issue in these losses has been CSK’s struggle to chase down runs. They managed to win their opening match against MI by four wickets, but faced a tough time against RCB with a 50-run defeat, lost to RR by just 6 runs, and then fell short against DC by 25 runs. The batting lineup, especially the openers, hasn’t been able to gel together, leading to an underwhelming performance from the top order.
Another hot topic among fans and analysts is MS Dhoni’s position in the batting order. It seems that he’s been coming in to bat much lower than expected, often when the game is already looking grim for CSK. In the match against DC, he walked in during the 10th over, but that was only after CSK had lost half of their batsmen and needed a daunting 110 runs off just 52 balls. The situation called for some aggressive shots, but both Vijay Shankar, who scored 69 not out off 54 balls, and Dhoni, with 30 not out off 26 balls, couldn’t effectively step on the gas, leading to Delhi Capitals achieving their first win over CSK in Chennai since way back in 2010.
After this latest batting setback, former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer shared his thoughts, suggesting that if Dhoni isn’t leading the team anymore, it might be time for him to step back from playing too. “Yeah, if he’s not captaining, it’s a little hard to watch him bat like this,” Jaffer mentioned during a conversation on ESPNcricinfo, discussing whether it would be wise for the former CSK captain to leave the XI. Jaffer pointed out that Dhoni’s struggles might stem from not playing as much cricket. He retired from international matches in 2020 and is now only active during the IPL season.
“Since Dhoni doesn’t get to play often, it can be tough for him. That’s probably why he tends to bat low in the order. But when the team is down five wickets in the first ten overs, he has no choice but to come in,” Jaffer explained. “It was nice, at least, that he batted at number seven today.”
Still, Jaffer believes CSK has other pressing issues to tackle beyond Dhoni’s performance. “The main worry is the top-order batting. It feels like they aren’t in the running when they’re chasing totals. They lost the last game by over 40 runs, and this one by 25. This isn’t the same CSK we’re used to seeing,” he said. “When CSK signs a player, there’s an expectation that they’ll perform well. But that hasn’t been the case this year, whether it’s Tripathi or Deepak Hooda. They just haven’t found their rhythm.”
He empathized with the supportive fans who turn out in large numbers, stating, “It’s tough to watch the team struggle at home, especially for such devoted fans.”
