MS Dhoni's Selfishness And...? 3 Reasons CSK Won't Qualify For IPL 2025 Playoffs

Why CSK won't reach playoffs [Source: AP Photo]

The unthinkable happened as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) came into the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) den and thrashed them in a one-sided battle to win two out of two matches in the IPL 2025. CSK, on the other hand suffered humiliation as they miscalculated the chase and allowed RCB to run away with the contest.

Fist, they allowed the visiting RCB side to post a total closer to 200-run mark, and then fumbled with their batting order as their net run-rate took a huge dent. This CSK team looks weak in every aspect of the game and here are 3 key reasons why they won't qualify for the playoffs.

1) MS Dhoni's selfishness

Thala MS Dhoni is still CSK's best hitter and there is no doubt about it. He showed the world that he still has what it takes to play an aggressive knock, however, it came all too late for the Super Kings.

For someone who is still striking the ball superbly, MS Dhoni should have come up the order, but he decided to come at 7 down when the game was done and dusted. In fact, R Ashwin, who is a bowler came before MS Dhoni and it makes no sense at all. In a situation where CSK were down and out, MS Dhoni should have come above Ravindra Jadeja as well as in no world Jadeja is a better hitter than MSD. However, he left it too late and it severely affected CSK's net run-rate.

If all-rounders like Jadeja and Ashwin are batting above MSD, there is seriously something wrong in it.

2) The undercooked batting lineup

Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, the three Indian stars flopped in both the games (against MI and RCB) and it has put too much pressure on youngster, Rachin Ravindra.

(Dube, Hooda and Tripathi runs in IPL 2025)

CSK heavily rely on their Indian trio for runs and they have all disappointed so far. Dube has done well for CSK in the last two seasons, but looked out of sorts in both the games this season. Similarly, Tripathi and Hooda, who were brought this season have looked disappointing and if the trend continues, it will put too much pressure on captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra as the middle order is hardly contributing.

3) The form of Ravindra Jadeja

How often does Ravindra Jadeja play at Chepauk and goes wicketless in back to back games?. Against both Mumbai Indians and RCB, he failed to take a single wicket as the batters punished him with utmost ease. Especially against RCB, their batters were ruthless against Jadeja and the stats tell the story.

(Jadeja stats in IPL 2025)

Jadeja is a vital cog in the CSK bowling attack and if he cannot take wickets on spin friendly Chepauk surface then he could also struggle on flat wickets elsewhere and this could be a massive headache for the CSK side.

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