IPL 2025: CSK needs an overhaul next season, please don’t punish fans

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There is nothing super about Super Chennai Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2025. As Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men crashed to yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad at once was known as Fortress Chepauk, it is becoming increasingly painful for the CSK fans.

The stands we have seen in Chennai, Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium included and a few more venues witnessed the yellow flags and T-shirts. A clear sign, the CSK fan base is still loyal. The moot point, has the CSK team and the management been loyal to fans.

This campaign of CSK in the summer of 2025 has gone wrong at all levels and all layers. For those who have followed it from the time of the IPL auction held last year in Saudi Arabia, there was a clear hint, the side was relying in old names, ageing stars and no focus on building a side where youngsters could be groomed.

To suddenly pitchfork Aysuh Mhatre in the CSK team may look nice, but that was more like sticking a band aid on a major cut where blood was gushing. People talk of legacy and leadership with respect about CSK. It is still there, the legacy, since MS Dhoni had won them the IPL title five times before.

But what has gone wrong in their IPL 2025 campaign can be a whole dissertation topic. To lose seven matches out of nine, including five at home, CSK have been pathetic. This is painful for fans, though they will still don't abuse the players or leader Dhoni.

For those who fancy themselves as data analysts in cricket, CSK were weak in every department. Dhoni, himself, looked strong as a wicket-keeper but Dhoni the batter is finished. There is no way he can score runs at a fast clip, there is no way he is going to be a finisher, which is what he was known for.

One must go back to a video dating two weeks back, where Dhoni spoke of how captaincy is not something which comes by right, a player has to first perform and then become captain. It was a great point, since, at that time in the IPL, Rohit Sharma had not been scoring runs in the IPL.

Of course, Dhoni was not taking pot shots at Rohit but each word Dhoni said was heard carefully. Age has caught up with Dhoni, no denying it. When he said the CSK management would make him play even if he has to be taken off a wheelchair, that was great to hear and read.

Point is, Dhoni may still play in the next IPL in 2026, as he is also an owner in the team. But the biggest blame or criticism for CSK flopping is not Dhoni but how the team management has played with the emotions of fans.

Come on, the IPL is witnessing youngsters and oldies mix and match and compete inside a team. It's a template across all teams. In CSK, it's like a collection of 'senior citizens'. Dhoni will be 44, R.Ashwin, who was miserable in IPL 2025, is around 38 and Ravindra Jadeja is also beyond mid-30s.

These three could not steady the CSK ship. Jadeja still attempted to play bold cricket against Mumbai Indians, but that consistency is not there. None of these three named is a match winner.

Call it a warning bell or bad omen, regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad getting ruled out of the IPL after a blow on his elbow was crippling. This is where the CSK management went by emotions and not logic, naming Dhoni as captain.

There was no way Dhoni was going to say no, since that is his DNA. But to lead CSK was more an emotional decision than a pragmatic one. Modern day T20 cricket and the IPL is sharp and ruthless.
In this, teams strategise, try out different things. There can be no quick solutions to CSK's fortunes.

Forget what has happened in the 2025 season, even for the 2026 season, they will have to do something more than cosmetic. It needs will, strong leadership and clarity in mind. Certainly, Stephen Fleming is not the man who can restore the mojo.

In 2022, when the CSK team had flopped, fans were patient. They came on FM shows and said they have faith in the side. In the IPL 2024 edition, CSK at least tried hard. This time, it has been like one of those horror shows where there is no end in sight.

No fan wants to see CSK captain MS Dhoni indulge in glib talk. No CSK fan wants to see them lose even to a prosaic team like Sunrisers Hyderabad. This does appear to be a case of too many rotten apples in the CSK basket. Chuck it.