CSK mid-season report: Can MS Dhoni magic turn it around for Chennai Super Kings? | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season has reached its halfway point, and the situation looks unusually grim for the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With only two wins from their first seven games, CSK finds itself languishing at the bottom of the table. The pressing question now is: can they bounce back in the remaining seven matches?
Hits
One of the few bright spots for CSK this season has been Noor Ahmad. The Afghan spinner has been sensational, taking 12 wickets in 7 games at an average of 14.25 and an economy rate of 7.12. He currently holds the Purple Cap and has been the backbone of their bowling attack. Another positive has been Khaleel Ahmad, who sits just behind Noor in the wicket-taking charts with 11 scalps at an average of 22.09. Although slightly expensive at 9 runs per over, his breakthroughs have come at crucial moments.
Misses
The biggest letdown for CSK has been their batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad, their most reliable batter in recent seasons, played the first five matches before being ruled out with an elbow fracture — a major blow to their campaign. Rachin Ravindra is the team’s top scorer with 186 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 132.85, but the batting unit as a whole has lacked intent and fluency.
CSK has batted second in six of their seven games and managed to chase down the target only twice — both times chasing scores below 170. The middle order hasn’t fired, and there seems to be an over-reliance on MS Dhoni to finish games. At 43, if CSK is still relying on Dhoni’s magic in the death overs, it paints a worrying picture.
Playoff Chances
CSK has built its legacy on improbable comebacks, but this time, the task appears monumental. While it’s not mathematically impossible, the road ahead is steep. With Ruturaj unavailable and Dhoni taking over the captaincy, CSK will need something extraordinary — perhaps a touch of that vintage ‘Mahi magic’ — to make the playoffs.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
