IPL 2025: What went wrong with CSK at auction?

CSK. (Photo source: IPL)

(CSK) have had their worst-ever campaign in an IPL season in 2025. Almost nothing has gone their way and a major reason behind their poor show seems to be their retention choices and picks in the auctions. Barring a few bowlers and some emerging batters, the experienced players have failed, which has been another area of concern for the five-time champions.

In the last few matches, CSK has given a chance to as many new players as possible keeping an eye on the next season. It seems that the five-time champions have realised the need to leave their outdated gameplay and find new ways to evolve as a team before the 19th edition of the league.

Mistakes committed by CSK in the IPL Auctions 2025 Lack of power hitters

In modern-day cricket, the presence of power hitters is a necessity. Teams like RCB and PBKS invested heavily in such players in IPL 2025 auction. In the past as well, teams like MI, KKR, and PBKS have gone after sheer power hitters. CSK had power in their lineup in the past, however, they seem to lack that in IPL 2025.

CSK's best hitters this year are Shivam Dube and a 43-year-old . Apart from them, other batters are timers of the ball and rely mostly on their technique. On slow surfaces, such players find it difficult to succeed. Unlike them, power hitters could dispatch the ball over the fence even when the conditions are not completely in their favour.

Trusting too many utility players

CSK trusted utlity players like , Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran, who have not had a consistent record in T20 cricket. While they could do well on surfaces that are good for batting, neither of them has proven their worth on slow surfaces like at their home ground in Chennai, which is known to assist spinners.

While Curran played a scintillating knock against the Punjab Kings, the remaining batters have failed to make any impact on most occasions. It was surprising to see CSK backing the likes of Hooda and Shankar for a fair number of matches despite their lack of performance.

Lack of aggression in top-order

CSK have invested plenty in the top-order batters in the past as their opening pairs have played a huge role in their five titles in the tournament. However, in 2025, they got the services of top-order batters like  Rachin Ravindra, Shaik Rasheed, and Rahul Tripathi, apart from their retained skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.

However, none of the batters turned up while Gaikwad got ruled out in the middle of the season an injury. None of these batters smash the ball from the get go in powerplay as skill-wise, these batters do not have a naturally aggressive game, which is a necessity for top-order batters in modern-day T20 cricket.

Heavy investment in old guards

CSK's costliest retentions were that of their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja, at INR 18 crores. While Gaikwad could be regarded as CSK's face after Dhoni, Jadeja's retention at that price raised eyebrows, especially as he has already retired from T20 internationals. Skillfully, Jadeja has been one of the finest all-rounders of the game but his batting performance has dropped over time. Even with the ball, he has not been at his best this season. 

Further, CSK went for for INR 9.75 crores as he returned to the franchise after 2015. Ashwin has retired from international cricket and has not been able to impress this year at the IPL. CSK have gone after experienced players in the past as well, however, that plan has not worked this season.

Not investing enough in bowlers

Almost every team in the IPL 2025 has at least one experienced international pacer. Even teams which are not performing too well have quality in their bowling attack. However, CSK did not invest enough in that department during the auction. While Noor Ahmad and have performed well, the remaining bowlers and their backups have not been good enough.

CSK trusted the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja, both of whom hae retired from T20Is. The other bowling options such as Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Mukesh Choudhary, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Gurjapneet Singh, and Anshul Kamboj have not been able to match the quality of other teams.