indian premier league - ipl

CSK CEO Hints At Franchise Moving Away From ‘Dad’s Army’ Tag After IPL 2025 Debacle

Samarnath Soory

Last updated: May 6, 2025

3 min read

Chennai Super Kings for many years had carried the tag of ‘Dad’s Army’ with them, often proving the notion of T20 cricket being a youngsters’ sport. They had won the Indian Premier League (IPL) multiple times with a bunch of experienced players with less emphasis on raw potential.

Just like many other sporting dynasties based on a certain philosophy, the five-time champions have realised their cricketing mantra has lost its magic.

IPL 2025 End To CSK’s ‘Dad’s Army’ Tag

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan hinted at the rebuilding for IPL 2026 with major emphasis on youth. They currently have the likes of Ayush Mhatre who is 17 and South African sensation who is 22 and Rachin Ravindra who is 25 among others.

“They are very talented young players. Going ahead, we will also focus on youth,” Viswanathan told Revsportz.

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming had previously mentioned the problems the team management had during the auction in reply to the criticism by former vice-captain Suresh Raina and former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who said that there was no proper planning for the players who were available in the November auction.

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However, Viswanathan felt that the current team is full of talented players, but most of them had lost form which has affected the team.

“A lot of players lost their form at the same time, that’s the reason. They all are very good players, but it can happen to any team. Also, Ruturaj (Gaikwad) got injured. Not always will you win in cricket. We didn’t play well this time. But we will come back strong,” he said.

Update on MS Dhoni’s Retirement

CSK have stayed rooted to the bottom of the table having won just two games and losing nine matches. MS Dhoni, who had reluctantly taken up the captaincy for a third stint, has attracted the most criticism for the team’s performances with most the talk surrounding his retirement from CSK after 16 years with the franchise. When asked if there has been a communication from the legendary skipper Viswanathan replied:

“It’s his call, we will never tell him anything. If he takes a decision, he will inform us. He hasn’t told us anything.”

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