CSK’s Struggles in IPL 2025: Auction Decisions questioned!

The Chennai Super Kings faced their sixth loss in IPL 2025, losing by nine wickets to their rivals, the Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium. This defeat places Chennai at the bottom of the points table, and they risk being the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

This poor performance has raised questions about the team’s decisions during the player auction. Former CSK players and cricket legends, Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, criticized the team’s auction strategy. Raina, speaking during the match, said that CSK lost out on talented players like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul. He was disappointed that CSK didn’t make better choices.

“I think CSK did not do a good job at the auction. They had so many talented young players available. Where are those players? They went to the auction with a lot of money but ignored Pant, Iyer, and Rahul. I’ve never seen CSK struggle like this,” Raina said.

Harbhajan, who was commentating, supported Raina’s views. He suggested that the team’s talent scouts should be held responsible for the poor selections this year.

“CSK is a big team. They had the chance to pick strong players. Even among young players, they didn’t find anyone who can change the game. The scouts need to explain why they chose these players,” Harbhajan said.

Chennai’s next match will be at home against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25, followed by a game against the Punjab Kings on April 30. For CSK to keep their playoff hopes alive, they must win all their remaining matches, which would give them 16 points overall. They also need to win by big margins to improve their net run rate.