Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni

NEW DELHI: Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings find themselves in uncharted territory this season as they continue to tumble down the IPL 2025 points table. Their crushing nine-wicket defeat to arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on Sunday marked their sixth loss in eight games, leaving them languishing at the bottom.
MS Dhoni, who returned to the captaincy after Ruturaj Gaikwad was sidelined with an injury, has been unable to inspire a turnaround. With only six league games left, every match is now a do-or-die for CSK if they are to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.
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Former CSK stalwart Suresh Raina did not mince words when he spoke about the team’s predicament on Star Sports.
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“I feel that somewhere the auction was not done well by the coach, the management. There were so many talented players in the auction, so many young players – like Priyansh Arya, debuted and scored a century,” Raina said. “You take so much money for selection, you left out Rishabh Pant, left out Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul. If you look at other teams, they play such attacking games. I have never seen CSK struggle this much.”

Harbhajan Singh echoed Raina’s concerns, particularly about the missed opportunities in the auction. “This team has been a very big team. But when they went to the auction, like you mentioned the big names – they did not take Rishabh, did not take KL Rahul,” he said. “Among the youth selected, we can’t see any who could give game-changing performances.”
As CSK prepare to return to their den — the MA Chidambaram Stadium — for back-to-back clashes against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, the pressure will be immense. Only a dominant home run can breathe life into what has been an otherwise forgettable campaign.