In their sixth game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings recorded their second-lowest powerplay total of the season, extending their batting problems in the 2025 Indian Premier League. The underwhelming performance occurred during a momentous occasion: MS Dhoni's comeback as captain. CSK lost one wicket and only scored 32 runs during the powerplay. They were struggling at 18 for 1 after the fifth over, and their top order once again showed a lack of confidence and desire.
As CSK collapsed to 75 for 8 in the 16th over, MS Dhoni, who had returned to captain the team, came in at No. 9 and got just one run before being dismissed by Sunil Narine. In the 2025 IPL season, it was the first time Dhoni had been sent off for a single-figure score.
KKR restrict CSK to 103/9
In the end, CSK was limited to 103 for 9 in 20 overs, which was their lowest home IPL total ever. CSK's lowest score at Chepauk prior to Friday was 109-all out against the Mumbai Indians in 2019. Only minutes after Dhoni had pushed his team to get off to a better start with both bat and ball, they had a poor performance in the powerplay. When questioned about CSK's ongoing difficulties in the early overs, Dhoni emphasized the need for improved execution and sharper intent, a message that was ignored.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, at the top of the lineup, was greatly missed by the Super Kings. Rahul Tripathi, who replaced him at number three, struggled to establish a rhythm throughout the powerplay. A hairline fracture in Gaikwad's right elbow had already forced him out of the season, severely hurting CSK's already struggling batting lineup. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway started the innings cautiously, scoring just 10 runs in the first two overs. Conway was ejected by Moeen Ali just as he was starting to appear at ease. In the fourth over, the New Zealand opener tried a reverse sweep but was leg-before by his old CSK teammate.
From then, things quickly fell apart. In the same over, Harshit Rana dismissed Rachin Ravindra, who has had trouble finding his form in the IPL 2025. As KKR dropped Vijay Shankar on zero, he was given a lifeline; this respite might have been expensive, but it ultimately had little impact. A striking statistic that perfectly captured the atmosphere at Chepauk was the 17 deliveries that CSK missed during the powerplay. The home audience was hushed as they watched their team put on yet another lackluster batting display.
CSK's lowest powerplay scores in IPL 2025
- 30 for 3 against RCB in Chennai
- 31 for 2 against KKR in Chennai
- 42 for 1 against RR in Guwahati
- 46 for 3 against DC in Chennai
The Super Kings' batting performance on Friday was poor; they lost eight wickets, including their Impact Player, and failed to reach the 80-run milestone. Between overs 6 and 16, CSK suffered a boundary drought that lasted 49 deliveries. Shivam Dube, who was holding out at one end of this empty stretch, could only watch as wickets fell in a heap at the other. after receiving two reprieves, Vijay Shankar, an all-rounder, was unable to turn his start into a significant innings after scoring 29 runs off 21 balls.
Rahul Tripathi, who replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad in the starting lineup, was utterly unprepared. The Maharashtra batsman only managed 16 runs from 22 deliveries, struggling to get going. After being moved up to No. 6, Ravichandran Ashwin was unable to score more than one run off of seven deliveries, and Deepak Hooda and Ravindra Jadeja made matters worse. CSK's batting meltdown worsened when Hooda, who had been brought in as the Impact Player, was removed for a duck.