Having lost six of their eight matches, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are staring at a first-round exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They are currently languishing at the bottom of the 10-team points table.
In their last fixture, CSK suffered a crushing nine-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (April 20).
Amidst the dismal show, former India batter Suresh Raina has questioned CSK's intent and hunger to win.
Analyzing the franchise’s struggles in an Instagram video with former teammate Harbhajan Singh, Raina endorsed the legendary spinner's views that the five-time champions seem to be at their weakest in 2025.
"Definitely yes (weakest CSK team?). I think there's no intent. The hunger to win is not there. Not to disrespect anyone, but the brand that CSK is known for, that's not there now," Raina said.
CSK now need nothing less than victories in all their remaining matches to stay in the race for the playoffs. However, stand-in skipper MS Dhoni has already hinted that the side may be looking ahead to the next season by testing their bench strength and searching for the right combinations.
Only in the last two matches have CSK opted to give opportunities to youngsters from the bench - including new recruit Ayush Mhatre. Mhatre played fearlessly on his IPL debut against Mumbai Indians, showing the rest of the team that where there's a will, there's a way.
CSK appear to have misfired at the auction, failing to pick enough local talent. This point was raised by Raina as well.
"Look at how local players who have played in TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League). Sai Sudharsan is doing well, he is playing for Gujarat Titans. Sai Kishore and Shahrukh Khan are also playing for GT. You have to bring local players.
"When we were winning, we had the likes of Murali Vijay, L Balaji, Badrinath, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. When you don't bring local flavour, it doesn't work," he remarked.
Suresh Raina also criticised CSK’s lack of intent in the powerplay, which he sees as the main reason behind their downfall. He recalled how the franchise once dominated both the powerplay and the end overs.
"When we played in Chennai, we were not playing dot balls. Strike rotation wins matches. We played proper basic cricket. In the first six overs, we showed intent. And in the death, there were the likes of MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel. They used to play cameos. Because of all these, we were winning," he stated.
CSK’s next match is scheduled against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk on Friday (April 25).
