The Game Moved On. CSK, Sadly, Did Not!

Jatin

CSK’s glory days are slipping away [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]CSK’s glory days are slipping away [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

Once upon a time, Chennai Super Kings were the gold standard of T20 cricket. Calm under pressure, clinical with execution and masters of the chase.

But on Saturday, the Men in Yellow looked like a shadow of their former selves: struggling, stuttering and ultimately falling 25 runs short of 184-run target set by Delhi Capitals.

The scoreboard might read 183/6 vs 158/5 but the real story runs much deeper. The Super Kings’ failure a symptom of a larger, lingering disease: a reluctance to evolve in a format that’s changing faster than ever.

Same Old Wine In A Cracked Bottle

CSK turned up with a strategy straight out of 2011: bat deep, take it slow and wait for Dhoni to turn water into wine. Problem is that even wine has an expiry date.

At the heart of CSK’s loss lies a tale of stubborn loyalty. While other franchises are busy unearthing young diamonds and reinventing T20 roles, CSK seem caught in a time warp.

Rachin Ravindra opened the innings and fell for a tame 3. Devon Conway, still struggling for rhythm post-injury, scratched around for 13 off 14. And skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad threw it away for just 5.

Powerplay Score: 46/3. Translation? A Digestible Start If This Was a Five-Day Test

There was no fire, no flamboyance, no fearlessness. Just a bunch of singles, soft dismissals and a strategy that seemed to be written on a dusty flip phone.

It was a script we have seen before: start slow, consolidate and hope for Dhoni to finish. But in 2025, that blueprint just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore.

Vijay Shankar’s ‘Toothless’ Fifty

When the chips were down, it was Vijay Shankar who stood tall, at least statistically. His 69 off 54 balls looks like a decent knock on paper. But dig deeper, and it is clear: this was an innings that sucked the momentum out of the chase.

Singles when sixes were needed, dot balls when boundaries were begging to be hit. It was like watching someone trying to win a drag race on a bicycle.

By the time he reached his half-century off 43 balls, the asking rate had ballooned beyond reach. For a No. 4 batter in modern T20 cricket, this was less "anchor" and more "anchor dragging the boat underwater."

MS Dhoni: The Legend, the Myth, the Middle Overs Merchant?

Look, I love MS. You love MS. Even the opponent players have Dhoni posters at home. But what are we doing here, really?

In seasons past, MS Dhoni walking in with a target in sight was enough to send chills down the spine of bowlers. But not anymore. The aura may still linger but the bat swing looks slower, the footwork more laboured and the finish line farther than ever. His 30* off 26 was painful to watch

Yes, he and Shankar added 84 runs for the sixth wicket. But when you need 110 off 56 balls at home, sitching such a slow partnership looks like death by a thousand cuts. Dhoni’s finishing mojo, once cricketing legend, now looks like a candle flickering in the wind.

The Stubborn Management

CSK’s brains trust, if you can call it that anymore, seems to think cricket is a museum. Why else would they keep handing out opportunities like sweets to underperformers?

There is loyalty and then there is "loyalty so blind it’s walking into traffic."

Where is the intent? Where is the experimentation? Every other team is unearthing new match-winners every season. CSK? Still relying on the same bunch of veterans hoping they will turn back the clock.

The Elephant in the Room

It is time to face the music. CSK’s undying belief in “experience over youth” might have worked once upon a time but now it feels more like living in denial.

Young players in other teams are lighting up the league, not because they are safe but because they are fearless.

And fearlessness is exactly what CSK seems to be running low on.

The Empire Is Crumbling

As much as it hurts to say it, this isn’t the CSK of old. This is a team that looks lost in the maze they once built to trap others.

CSK’s loss against Delhi Capitals is a wake-up call, a siren that screams “adapt or perish.” The Super Kings may have five titles to their name but if they don’t shake off their rust and reinvent, they risk becoming relics of a golden past.

Because in a game where fortune favours the bold, those who stand still are the first to fall. And CSK, right now, are falling from grace, not with a bang but a whimper.

Will this legendary franchise change their ways or continue sleepwalking through a format that refuses to wait for anyone? Only time will tell but the clock is ticking fast.