The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had a dismal Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign and their recent four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 30 marked the end of their tournament journey with only two wins and eight losses in their 10 outings, currently sits at the bottom of the points table. CSK‘s batting has been the major concern throughout the season, with Simons acknowledging that these are the areas that need improvement.
“We have been good at taking wickets, but as a team in our batting, there are a few areas where we need to find and to be more accurate about what we need to do, ” Eric Simons, the fast bowling coach of CSK said at a press conference following the defeat against Punjab.
The struggles of Matheesha Pathirana
One of the key players who struggled to make an impact this season was Matheesha Pathirana. The 22-year-old Srilankan pacer was one of CSK’s top retentions heading into IPL 2025, but endured a shocking session thus far, just 9 wickets at an economy of 10.40. Even against PBKS he was taken to cleaners with conceding 45 runs in 4 overs as his 2 scalps didn’t help the team much.
Simons, however, defended Pathirana, claiming that the blower was pretty much at the same level as he was in the past few seasons, with the only difference being that the batters are now playing him better. I think it has been quite well documented that there was a bit of an action change. “But I think he’s pretty much back to where he was just in terms of height of his arm on a reasonably consistent basis,” Simmons said.
Playing for Pride
With CSK out of playoff contention, the team will now play its remaining four matches for Pride. In 18 years of IPL history, CSK hasn’t finished bottom of the table, and the team will look to play aggressively to avoid recording this feat. CSK’s next match is against the Table toppers, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 3. The match will be a crucial one for RCB, looking to maintain their top spot and CSK seeking to end their season on a high note.
CSK’s bowling unit struggles against PBKS
CSK’s bowling unit struggled to contain PBKS in yesterday’s match, failing to restrict them to a defendable total. Despite strong efforts, the bowlers couldn’t maintain the pressure, allowing PBKS to chase down 191 runs with four wickets in hand and 2 balls left in match. The inability to capitalise at key moments and inconsistent bowling performance exposed the team’s vulnerabilities. The failure ultimately contributed to CSK’s death, highlighting the need for improvement in the blowing department.
The Road Ahead
The CSK IPL journey may be over, but they will aim to finish their remaining matches strongly. With a solid bowling unit, the team needs batting to step up. Fans are eager to see if CSK can end their season High note.
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