IPL 2025 | Archaic Super Kings need to take tough calls to prevent prolonged rut

Chennai Super Kings face a crisis as outdated strategies and lack of firepower lead to IPL playoff exit.

When a team sets a high bar, there is an unshakable trust in the blueprint as it has worked time and time again.

However, there comes a phase when the rivals catch up and the much-celebrated champion finds itself stuck in the past. For Chennai Super Kings, that moment has arrived as it failed to progress to the IPL playoffs for the second consecutive year.

The four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings on Wednesday was the nadir for the five-time champion, which slumped to its eighth reverse in 10 games and crashed out of the tournament well before the end of the league stage.

The loss against Kings was Super Kings’ fifth successive one at home (MAC Stadium), where it hardly used to face setbacks.

The abysmal performance can be traced back to the auction when the think-tank failed to assemble a batting unit that was in tune with the demands of modern-day T20 cricket, where the ability to tee off from the get-go is paramount.

The pattern of defeats was almost painfully identical; the top-order failed to maximise the PowerPlay while setting or chasing a total, leaving the rest to play catch-up.

That the Yellow Brigade hit only six maximums in the PowerPlay in 2025 — young Vaibhav Suryavanshi managed it in just one innings in the first six overs against Gujarat Titans — reflected how sluggish the starts were.