CSK have been poor tactically in IPL 2025 and haven't quite nailed their playing combination.
Chennai Super Kings have had a shaky start to their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign. They won the season opener against Mumbai Indians but weren’t convincing. CSK then suffered a heavy defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with several of their weaknesses getting exposed.
CSK had lucked out with two games at the Chepauk to begin the season. If Mumbai Indians were at their full strength, the men in yellow could have ended up losing both home games. Despite building their squad for these conditions, CSK have been badly exposed.
There were other factors as well. For example, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad making basic mistakes. Not giving Sam Curran the new ball or bringing on the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja when Devdutt Padikkal was on strike were poor calls.
Some of their decisions from the IPL 2025 auction are also hurting them. They can still turn things around with some tweaks to their line-up.
Chennai Super Kings made the decision to trust young sensation Rachin Ravindra over Devon Conway. They paired him with Rahul Tripathi, moving Ruturaj to number three. While Ravindra has done well, his partner has looked out of sorts. Gaikwad’s move to number three has its merits as it can shield him from pacers with the new ball. But Tripathi getting dismissed early defeats that purpose.
With Devon Conway in the side, CSK will have more solidity at the top. He has a proven record in the IPL, having helped CSK win the title in 2023. Having Conway at the other end will also free up Rachin to play his natural game. In the first two games, he tried to anchor the innings, which should be his role.
Sam Curran is a gritty cricketer but that alone can’t help you on the big stage. He is an all-rounder and a pretty good one in domestic cricket but in a tournament like this, he’s not much of a value. His bowling is just not good enough and his bat hasn’t done much in the league as well. Curran has conceded 47 runs in four overs and has scored 12 runs in the first two games.
CSK needs to strengthen their batting line-up. If Conway comes in, Curran has to sit out. The team management values experience and doesn’t trust young names. Considering that, their next best option would be to bring Vijay Shankar in the lower middle order.
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Ravichandran Ashwin is a quality player and still offers good value to the CSK side, especially at home and against the left-hand heavy opponents. But on the road, he can be left out for a pacer. If Conway comes in, they have to include an Indian pacer to pair alongside Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana.
Anshul Kamboj has been in superb form with the ball in domestic cricket across formats. He took nine wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at 6.73 rpo. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked 17 wickets from 10 games at an economy of 4.56. CSK’s other option would be Mukesh Choudhary, who had taken 15 wickets in the SMAT 2024 from just six games.
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