Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a failed defence of their Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2024 as they missed out on a spot for the playoffs and finished fifth with seven wins and as many losses. The agonising part of that season was perennial rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pipping them to the last remaining playoffs spot on the basis of Net Run Rate.
This season, they have made wise decisions in the auction held last November by going for established stars and few upcoming talents. The side led by Ruturaj Gaikwad will look to go past Mumbai Indians as the team with most IPL titles this season and also give MS Dhoni a grand sendoff if the pre-season speculation is to be believed.
In order to do that they need to reach the playoffs and here are four players who could be instrumental to their fortunes of finishing in the top four.
The current skipper and his opening partner have been the key to CSK’s title charge when they won IPL 2023. In that season, Devon Conway was the third highest runscorer with 672 runs from 15 matches while Gaikwad was the seventh highest with 590 runs which included four key fifties at the top of the order. In 2021, Gaikwad’s Orange Cap-winning haul of 635 runs from 16 matches was fundamental to their title win.
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Gaikwad is not in good form in lead-up to the competition scoring just 123 runs from five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) followed by a poor return of 194 runs from seven innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). CSK will hope he can put it all behind him and find form.
If there’s one uncapped Indian player in focus in the CSK squad this season, its Anshul Kamboj. The Haryana medium pacer has garnered all the attention when he picked up all 10 wickets in an innings against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
He finished the tournament with 34 wickets from 12 innings and has also done really well in the white-ball formats. In the VHT 2024-25, Kamboj was Haryana’s best bowler by a mile with 17 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 22.05. In the SMAT 2024, he claimed nine wickets from seven games at an economy of 6.73.
If he can’t win a match with the ball, Sam Curran can contribute with the bat and vice-versa. Despite not being in favour for England’s T20 side, Curran is an asset for any team gunning for the title. In the recent edition of the International League T20 (ILT20), Curran played a pivotal role in the Desert Vipers reaching the final with seven wickets in 13 matches and at an economy of 8.44 and finishing in the top five of runscoring charts with 387 runs from 12 innings at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 134.37. His impressive performances have prompted his county team Surrey to name him captain for the 2025 edition of Vitality Blast.
The Karnataka spinner has been superb in lead-up to the IPL 2025, claiming 14 wickets from seven matches and a measly economy of 6.14 in the SMAT 2024. He was also crucial for Karnataka’s title win in the Vijay Hazare Trophy by finishing as their joint-highest wicket taker with 18 scalps from 10 matches at an economy of 4.12. The legspinner has the experience and skills to carry an entire spin attack by himself even if the rest of the stars in the team are going through patchy form.
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