The Chennai Super Kings team has experienced a harsh awakening in the 2025 season. They have been the pinnacle of reliability ever since the Indian Premier League began. Five championships, multiple playoff appearances, and—most astonishing of all—never two consecutive seasons without CSK reaching the championship game. They were among the first teams ousted in the 2025 season, ending this run.
This year, CSK may end up with the wooden spoon for the first time in IPL history as a result of the disappointments of 2024. After the squad lost to RR by six wickets in Delhi, head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t hold back. According to Fleming, “it’s probably fitting that we’re at the bottom,” during the news conference held after the game.
“We’ve played that type of cricket, so you can’t hide away from it. But what we do want to do is just put a much better performance on the paddock that reflects the ability of the team.”
“We don’t obviously like being down here (at the bottom of the points table), but it’s not a motivation. We wanted just a good performance. We’re trying to string some performances together. The aim was two good performances. Now it’ll be one good one to finish.”
This season, CSK’s hitting and strategy have been their main issues. They were even seeing chaotic PowerPlays and a general lack of focus at all phases prior to the recent juvenile infiltration. The pace of their innings has changed noticeably, but it’s still clear that the team has to plug some holes in their hitting order. Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, for example, have showed great promise for the future, but they require more encouragement from the others.
Regarding the batting order, the think tank seemed to be confused as well. Ravindra Jadeja, who was the team’s designated finisher for years, is now the number four, a position he has hardly ever held outside of the 2023 campaign. Ravichandran Ashwin entered the game at 4 p.m. on Tuesday against RR as the management attempted to use the powerplay. To be fair to him, the 38-year-old did deliver a few lustful strikes with the field up in that capacity, which he had previously played at RR. However, this batting order unpredictability represents a total 180-degree shift from CSK’s often reliable strategies.
“Yeah, our order is not right at this stage, and that is something that we are always looking to rejig. We’ve got some strong ideas for next year, so that all facets are covered. But that hasn’t been possible this year because of the lack of runs at the top. A lot of the batting positions are determined by how well a start we have, and then guys can fall into line. So we haven’t had that. So we’ve been just patching innings up, really, rather than constructing good innings.”
Although CSK’s batting mistakes are widely known, they have also experienced bowling problems, with their typical suspects failing to produce. One of the constants, Matheesha Pathirana, has had a forgettable season, scoring more than 10 runs per over. The altered bowling action hasn’t yet matched his plans, and he hasn’t been in control. Pathirana’s lean patch has been a major setback for MS Dhoni’s team in the 2025 season, considering how important he has been to CSK’s goals over the years.
Fleming acknowledged the Sri Lankan’s difficulties but refrained from criticizing Pathirana too much. “Yes, Pathirana’s form hasn’t lived up to our expectations. We kept him on board because we have great expectations for him. However, he is returning in some capacity. When we had him in South Africa, he was in terrible form. Although he has improved, neither he nor we are satisfied. I suppose there is some space for him to gain some shape and confidence. However, I believe he’s simply at a turning point in his career when batsmen are playing him more effectively.
“They’ve seen more of him. So now he just has to drill down on what he needs to do to be as effective as what he’s been for the first part of his career. It’s a unique skill set, but it’s been a little bit off.”
In addition to Pathirana’s difficulties, Noor Ahmad, the other international bowling star, has fallen short of expectations. Although he is statistically second in the race for the Purple Cap, the Afghanistan spinner’s influence has diminished as the season has progressed. In particular, he has found it difficult to limit the runs while taking wickets. In the meantime, Anshul Kamboj’s modest rise has been the only positive development. Kamboj, who was unexpectedly left out at the beginning of the season, has impressed with his new-ball bursts, displaying good control and composure under duress. The 24-year-old’s ability to rush batters because of his cunning with the ball is one of his skills. In addition to his hard length deliveries, Kamboj can also get the ball to nip away from the seam. He also has a respectable slower ball in his repertoire.
Fleming had nothing but good things to say about the young pacer, who has also advanced quickly in red-ball cricket. Kamboj became just the third player in history to grab all ten wickets in an innings during the 2024 Ranji season. Additionally, he was selected for the India A team that will soon travel to England.
“Kamboj is good. His speeds have been around 138, 139 (kph). He is deceptive and the ball always seems to hit the gloves harder. His big strength is his length and he just gets the ball to wobble. You saw that today on a reasonably flat wicket and he’ll do well on that tour (of England) if he gets conditions that seam a bit and a little bit of swing. He’ll be an absolute handful. He has got some real potential with both white and red ball. We’re happy with his development and the opportunity he has taken this year.”
