CSK vs KKR, IPL 2025: Can Dhoni’s Chennai end losing streak

CSK vs KKR, IPL 2025: Can Dhoni’s Chennai end losing streak

There have never been two consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) finals without the presence of M.S. Dhoni. The former India captain has graced the summit clash on 11 occasions since the league’s advent in 2008.

The incredible record, however, is under substantial threat unless the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) can snap a four-match losing streak and revive its season.

The five-time IPL-winning captain will return to helm the Super Kings when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with an elbow fracture.

Now 43, Dhoni has stepped in with the bat in all five of CSK’s games this season. He has scored 103 runs in 67 balls at a strike rate of 153.73, yet a key difference stands out — he has fallen short of finishing games in four chases.

In those four matches, CSK entered the last five overs needing an average of 78 runs — an asking rate of 13 per over. The team’s scoring rate between overs 11 and 15 is the worst among the 10 teams in the league (7.80), forcing an excessive burden on the death-overs hitters.

“We’re not trying to leave too much [for the death], but whether it’s good bowling or we lose wickets at the wrong time, it’s just holding us back. We need someone to match what the opposition has done,” head coach Stephen Fleming said on the eve of the encounter.

Gaikwad’s injury could pave the way for Rahul Tripathi’s reinclusion in the XI. The Maharashtra batter’s boundary percentage is the highest during the opening six overs (22.39 per cent), and that could force the team to push Rachin Ravindra down to three in the batting line-up.

Another scathing issue for the home side has been the haemorrhage of runs with the ball in the PowerPlay. CSK has the second-worst PowerPlay economy rate in the competition, behind only the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Despite Khaleel Ahmed’s wicket-taking ability with the new ball, the bowlers from the other end have failed to keep the pressure on, none more so than R. Ashwin, who has the worst economy rate for any bowler with more than one over in this phase (15.60).

Ashwin, however, has fared far better in the middle overs, conceding at just 7.50 runs per over with four wickets. Given this stark contrast, CSK might be better off using his quota entirely in the middle and turning to Noor Ahmad for early breakthroughs. The left-arm wrist spinner has a strong PowerPlay economy rate of 7.14 in T20s but remains largely untested in this phase in the IPL, having bowled only two overs.

The Knight Riders’ concern, on the other hand, will be their lower-order batting. The defeats against Mumbai Indians and LSG, though polar opposite in nature, stemmed from the lack of runs from the middle-order. Andre Russell is yet to tee off in his inimitable style, while Ramandeep Singh and Rinku Singh too have failed to play an innings of note.

The Ajinkya Rahane-led team will also bank on better returns from ace spinner Sunil Narine, who has picked up only two scalps and is in the midst of his most expensive IPL season to date.

For CSK, a win is non-negotiable if it hopes to keep its playoff push alive. KKR, meanwhile, needs to iron out its flaws before the pack pulls ahead.

Published on Apr 10, 2025