After Chennai Super Kings (CSK) slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2025, alarm bells are ringing louder than ever for the five-time champions. Despite MS Dhoni stepping back into the captaincy role at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, CSK put on a dismal display against a ruthless Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) unit. They were restricted to a mere 103/9 — their lowest total ever at Chepauk — and KKR chased it down in just 10.1 overs, handing CSK their biggest-ever IPL defeat in terms of balls remaining (59).
With this loss, CSK remain stuck at ninth place in the points table. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke was blunt in his assessment of CSK’s condition.
“They just look totally down on confidence,” Michael Clarke said on JioStar. “The wicket had a bit of spice early on – some movement with the new ball and assistance for spinners. But that’s no excuse for the lack of intent. Their approach was overly cautious, like they were playing to avoid a heavy loss rather than pushing for a win.”
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Clarke emphasized that in such desperate times, teams need to take bold risks. “They’re in a hole. When you’re down, the only way out is to throw everything at it. Right now, CSK needs to take chances, back their instincts, and try to turn things around with aggression.”
The World Cup-winning skipper explained that the dressing room mood in a losing streak can be toxic. “Just like winning is contagious, so is losing. It seeps into everything – team meetings, warm-ups, body language. And unless someone breaks the cycle, it only gets worse.”
Piyush Chawla, who played for CSK in 2020 and spent a large part of his career at KKR, believes a few fresh faces could help rejuvenate the squad. “Sometimes you need to inject youthful energy,” Chawla said. “Andre Siddarth is someone who has shown promise in the nets. Maybe he’s ready for that middle-order role. You’ve already seen enough of guys like Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda – now it’s time to test the bench.”
Chawla stressed that it’s not about making wholesale changes, but tweaking the playing XI to unlock new energy.
“A youngster coming in, scoring a brisk 30, can uplift the entire squad. That spark might just be what CSK needs.” He also lauded KKR’s bowling, especially Sunil Narine, whose spell of 3 for 13 choked CSK’s momentum. “On these black soil wickets, Narine becomes even more dangerous. He hits that uncomfortable length consistently. Batters can’t read him, and he gives away nothing. Even a player like Jadeja struggled with timing.”
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Chawla pointed out Narine’s consistency over the years, even recalling how the spinner has previously dismissed Dhoni in a similar fashion. “It’s one thing to have a helpful pitch. But it still takes skill, control, and precision – and Narine showed all of that. He’s been a game-changer for KKR yet again.”
