Chennai Super Kings are struggling this season, with 4 losses in 5 games. Their coach, Stephen Fleming, admits they’re not taking advantage of their home ground.
The team’s home stadium, Chepauk, used to be their fortress. But now, it’s crumbling. They’ve lost 2 out of 3 games played there this season. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals have broken their long-standing undefeated streaks at Chepauk.
So, what’s going wrong? The pitch at Chepauk has changed over the years. It used to be slow and turning, but now it’s faster and more bouncy. According to Cricket.com, the spinners are getting less turn – 2.17 degrees compared to 2.87 degrees in the past.
This change in pitch is affecting the team’s strategy. They need batsmen who can play fast bowling and bowlers who can take wickets on a bouncy pitch. But they spent most of their budget on spinners in the auction, making their team unbalanced.
Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, their top scorers, are not performing well. The team is struggling to chase big targets, having failed to do so since 2018.
Their captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, says powerplay is a problem for them. They’re not scoring enough runs in the first over, and it’s affecting their overall performance. Chennai has the lowest run rate in powerplay this season – 7.4.
Gaikwad also says the team is struggling with bowling in powerplay. They’re using spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana after the powerplay, which is not working out.
T20 cricket is all about power-hitting, but Chennai is struggling to keep up. They used to have big hitters like Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, and Shivam Dube, but now they’re missing that punch.
The team’s strike rate has decreased significantly since 2024. They’re scoring a six every 15 balls, compared to other teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are scoring a six every 11 balls.
MS Dhoni is back with the team, and he’s promoting himself to number 5 to leverage his finishing skills. Will his return help Chennai regain their form? Only time will tell.