Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season on a high as MS Dhoni-led side secured a massive 83-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 25, Sunday. Despite this dominant performance, the win wasn't enough to prevent them from finishing in last place in IPL 2025. This marks a historic first for CSK, as for the initial 15 seasons of the Indian Premier League, they had never once ended up at the bottom of the points table. Prior to IPL 2025, CSK held the unique distinction among the 'OG' IPL teams of never having finished last. However, by failing to defeat the Gujarat Titans by a margin of 110 runs or more, the Chennai Super Kings have, for the first time in their IPL history, ended up at the bottom of the table.
Suspense ends on MS Dhoni's IPL retirement
Meanwhile right after the CSK's win over GT, came up with an ambiguous answer when asked about his IPL future. He left the fans wondering by saying,
"I'm not saying I'm done; I'm not saying I'm coming back. I have the luxury of time. It depends. I have four or five months to decide [whether to play or not]. It's professional cricket; you have to be at your best. It's not performances. What's important is to see how much hunger you have. I have enough time to decide. I'll go back to Ranchi."
Talking about CSK's campaign, Dhoni said:
"It's good. I wouldn't say today was housefull, but decent number of crowd. Good to finish on a winning note. This was among the perfect performances. This was one game where the catching was also good. When we started the season, the first four games out of six were in Chennai. We won tosses and chased. Second innings, we were under a bit of pressure. So I was more worried about the batting department. Now everybody has contributed. When Ritu comes back next year... he doesn't have to worry about too many things. Definitely you feel old [as Suryavanshi touched his feet]. I asked Andre, 'How old are you?' And he's exactly 25 years younger than me!"
Talking about the match, CSK finally unleashed their aggressive best with the bat, posting their highest total of IPL 2025, a formidable 230/5. This impressive display was spearheaded by a fearless performance from 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, CSK's youngest-ever player. Mhatre set the tone with a blistering 34 off just 17 balls, which included a stunning 28-run over against Arshad Khan that ignited a powerplay blitz. Devon Conway provided solid support, contributing a steady 52 off 35 deliveries, finding his rhythm in the middle overs to anchor the innings effectively. Dewald Brevis then joined the party and cracked a blistering 23-ball 57. In reply, GT's batting stumbled right from the off set as they were finally bundled out for a paltry 147.