IPL 2025: 'It's High Time..' - Kris Srikkanth Urges CSK Bowlers to Help as Batting Fails in Another 180 Plus Chase

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Former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes Chennai Super Kings (CSK) addresses their bowling and restrict opponents to below 180 after the batting fails in another chase against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.

Having last chased a 180 plus target in 2018, CSK batters failed in yet another attempt during the run-chase of 220 against PBKS at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday (April 8) as they suffered a 18-run loss, their fourth straight defeat of the season.

In IPL 2025, CSK has chased in all their five matches. While they successfully chased down 156 against Mumbai Indians in their season opener by 4 wickets, Ruturaj Gaikwad's side has fallen short in their next four matches, which have seen the opponents post a total more than 180.

As a remedy to that, former cricketer Srikkanth, who is one of the biggest supporter of CSK, took to social media to provide a remedy as he believes the batting order is never going to win the team games.

Srikkanth believes it is time for CSK to find out ways to restrict the opposition before 180 and wrote on X, "Its high time csk does something with their bowling and restrict the opponents to less than 180 cos the batting order is not set up for a score beyond that! If csk has to make a comeback then it all rests on their bowling and not their batting!"

Srikkanth also launched a scathing attack on Chennai Super Kings for its woeful fielding effort against Punjab Kings. Numerous dropped chances massively hindered CSK's chances of victory. Punjab, who were reeling at 83/5, capitalised on the invaluable lifelines and blazed its way to a 200-plus target.

"When you give over 130 runs from 83/5 to 219/6 and keep dropping catches, you are never going to be in a winning position, however good you try and chase!" Srikkanth wrote on X.

In the first innings, CSK produced a poor display on the field as dropped chances continued, and two of those allowed eventual centurion Priyansh Arya to break the shackles and wallop to a 39-ball century.

Khaleel Ahmed was guilty of putting down a caught and bowled chance of Arya in the very first over on a score of six, while Mukesh Choudhary dropped another at long-off in the 12th over off Ravichandran Ashwin when Arya was batting with belligerence on 73.

The story of missed chances didn't end there for CSK as the five-time champions gave another repreive to Shashank Singh, who was dropped by Rachin Ravindra off Noor Ahmad at deep midwicket in the 17th over.

In pursuit of an imposing 220-run target, Chennai got off to a decent start, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra passing the powerplay test against the Punjab's bowling unit. After a successful powerplay, CSK struggled in the middle overs after losing Rachin (36) and skipper Gaikwad (1).

As the asking rate spiralled to 17 in the last four overs, Conway was swapped for Ravindra Jadeja. MS Dhoni hammered a quick-fire 27 from 12 deliveries, including three towering maximums, but holed it to Yuzvendra Chahal on the first ball of the final over as CSK fell 18 runs short of victory.

With four defeats on the trot, Chennai Super Kings will look to get their campaign back on track when they host the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (April 11).