Chennai Super Kings kicked off their IPL 2025 campaign with a bang, taking down Mumbai Indians by four wickets. But their winning streak was short-lived, as they went on to lose two consecutive matches. The latest setback came at the hands of Rajasthan Royals, who edged them out by six runs in the 11th match of the tournament. Despite having Mahendra Singh Dhoni on their side, Chennai just couldn’t seem to turn the tide.
Rajasthan Royals set the tone with a solid 182 runs while batting first in Guwahati. Chennai, led by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, fell short with a total of 176 runs. With 45 runs needed in the last three overs, the pressure was on Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to pull off a miracle. But it wasn’t meant to be. The real culprit behind Chennai’s defeat was their batting lineup. The team got off to a disastrous start, with opener Rachin Ravindra getting dismissed without scoring a single run.
Post-match Analysis
Former cricketer Deep Dasgupta weighed in on Chennai’s loss, citing the team’s top-order woes. According to India Today, Dasgupta said, “Chennai’s top order is leaving too much for the lower-order batsmen to handle. They’re relying too heavily on Shivam Dube. Someone from the top order needs to take responsibility and step up.”
With the exception of captain Gaikwad, none of the top-order batsmen managed to make a significant impact. Ravindra was dismissed without scoring, while Rahul Tripathi and Shivam Dube only managed 23 and 18 runs, respectively. Vijay Shankar’s nine runs were hardly enough to make a difference. The team’s overall batting performance was lackluster, and even Dhoni’s 16 runs at number seven couldn’t save the day.