CSK’s Struggles in IPL 2025:

Hello, and welcome back to my blog- SlogVlog! In today’s post, we’ll be diving into the major issues CSK’s squad has faced this season—problems that RCB ruthlessly exposed when they handed CSK their biggest home defeat ever, thrashing them by 50 runs. Let’s break down what’s going wrong for the five-time champions.

CSK’s Struggles in the Powerplay

Over the past few years, CSK has developed a reputation for poor starts in the powerplay while batting. Unlike teams like SRH, who regularly cross 100 runs in the first six overs, the five-time champions often struggle to even reach 50. In their recent match against RCB, they managed just 30 runs in the powerplay, which immediately put them on the back foot.

This slow start increases pressure on their already fragile middle order, forcing batters to take unnecessary risks. As a result, they lose wickets trying to catch up and often cross 100 runs only by the 13th or 14th over—far behind the game at that point.

If CSK wants to compete at the highest level and match teams like SRH, they must improve significantly in both the powerplay and middle overs. And that brings us to the next major issue…

CSK’s Middle-Order Struggles in IPL 2025

CSK’s middle order has been a big problem this season. It includes Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and MS Dhoni, with Ravichandran Ashwin coming in at No. 8 if six wickets fall late in the innings.

This could easily be one of the weakest middle orders in IPL 2025.

• Deepak Hooda is out of form and struggling to perform.
• Shivam Dube is the only batter who can hit big shots and accelerate when needed.
• Sam Curran and Jadeja are mostly bowlers and haven’t been great with the bat.
• Ravichandran Ashwin is not a proper T20 batsman.

And then, we have MS Dhoni, who is looking fit and in great form. He is running between the wickets without any struggle, and he has been hitting the ball well. But for some reason, he is coming in at No. 9, which makes no sense!

With such a weak middle order, CSK’s batting has been collapsing too often. If they don’t fix this issue soon, it will be tough for them to go far in IPL 2025.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni at 9?

MS Dhoni is known for stepping up when the team needs him the most. Whether he’s in form or not, he has always delivered in crucial moments.

A perfect example is the 2011 World Cup final, where he promoted himself up the order and finished the game in style. Another example is Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021 against DC. At that time, Dhoni was in terrible batting form, possibly one of the worst slumps of his career. But when it mattered most, he rose to the occasion, finished the chase, and took CSK to the final, which they later won against KKR.

That’s the kind of player Dhoni is—someone who thrives under pressure and delivers when it matters the most.

However, in the match against RCB, when CSK needed Dhoni the most, he surprisingly sent Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of him. Ashwin couldn’t contribute much, and this decision left many fans puzzled.

This happened in the 13th over, so it wasn’t like Dhoni had to bat for 10-13 overs. CSK needed 117 runs off 42 balls, and if there was one player who could pull off such a chase, it was MS Dhoni. But instead of stepping up, he sent Ashwin, making the task almost impossible.

It felt like CSK had given up. If Dhoni could come in later, hit two massive sixes, smash two fours against a top bowler like Josh Hazlewood, and run between the wickets effortlessly at No. 9, then why couldn’t he do the same at No. 7?

This decision was extremely disappointing and left fans wondering why Dhoni didn’t take charge when the team needed him the most.

CSK’s Fielding Woes:

There’s a famous saying: “Catches win matches,” and CSK’s fielding performance against RCB proved why that statement holds true at every level.

CSK’s fielders dropped three crucial catches of Rajat Patidar, and one of them was a complete sitter by Deepak Hooda—a catch that should have been taken any day of the week. These mistakes proved costly, as Patidar made CSK pay for their carelessness, smashing a match-winning half-century and earning the Man of the Match award.

Had CSK held on to those catches, the target could have been much smaller, making the chase a lot easier. In the end, their poor fielding cost them big time.

CSK’s Fielding Woes:

There’s a famous saying: “Catches win matches,” and CSK’s fielding performance against RCB proved why that statement holds true at every level.

CSK’s fielders dropped three crucial catches of Rajat Patidar, and one of them was a complete sitter by Deepak Hooda—a catch that should have been taken any day of the week. These mistakes proved costly, as Patidar made CSK pay for their carelessness, smashing a match-winning half-century and earning the Man of the Match award.

Had CSK held on to those catches, the target could have been much smaller, making the chase a lot easier. In the end, their poor fielding cost them big time.

These are CSK’s biggest problems this season. The tournament is still in its early stages, so if they fix these issues now, they can avoid bigger troubles later.

However, if they stick to their classic strategy of backing players no matter what, they might find themselves struggling in IPL 2025.