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In light of Rahul Tripathi's poor performance in the IPL 2025 thus far, former England captain Michael Vaughan has proposed that the Chennai Super Kings should make a significant adjustment to their batting order by moving captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to open. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Vaughan emphasized Tripathi's lackluster performance thus far this season and emphasized that CSK should open up to take advantage of Gaikwad's recent form, which saw him score 63 against RR. After winning just one of its first three IPL 2025 games, Vaughan said the franchise needed a shift in strategy to recover.
Vuaghan's advice to CSK
"Rahul Tripathi just didn't get going. He has got the technique to go at the 'V', has the flicks and the tricks to go fine and behind the wicket, but I think in the powerplay, you gotta go downtown. I think there will be many bowlers who won't mind running in to bowl to Rahul Tripathi at the minute. He just doesn't seem to be getting it quite right," Vaughan said.
"It has been three games now that they have used him at the top. I just wonder whether they (CSK) will now use their captain (Ruturaj Gaikwad) at the top," he added.
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Tripathi's lackluster performances have raised concerns, despite the CSK fan base's initial optimism for his inclusion during the massive auction in Jeddah. Tripathi only scored 23 off 19 balls in the most recent match against the Rajasthan Royals on March 30, where CSK lost by six runs. Tripathi had only scored two runs against the Mumbai Indians and five against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru prior to the RR match.
Nitish Rana's outstanding 81 off 36 balls helped RR, who were put to bat first, to post 182. Even with their bowlers' best efforts, CSK's batting problems persisted. Due to the inability of the top-order batters, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, and Rachin Ravindra, to find their rhythm, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was left to shoulder most of the burden. CSK remained in the chase thanks to Gaikwad's 63 off 44 balls, but their innings collapsed when he was dismissed.
Fans' expectations were momentarily heightened when MS Dhoni was promoted to number seven, but the legendary finisher was unable to duplicate his magic. With 20 runs remaining, Dhoni scored a six and a boundary in the last over before Sandeep Sharma removed him on the first valid ball thanks to a brilliant catch by Shimron Hetmyer.
CSK lost for the second time in a row, falling to seventh place on the points table. While the Rajasthan Royals prepare for their next matchup with the Punjab Kings, CSK now turns their attention to the forthcoming match against the Delhi Capitals in the hopes of recovering more strongly.
