CSK has had two bad seasons and an average one up until now. The first one in 2020 was dismal with the team losing Suresh Raina, their enforcer early. That season saw them struggle for intent with the team often going at less than 6 per over in the powerplay. Shane Watson was out of form and the others did not have the game to push with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran often left with a lot to do in the back. Fast forward to 2022, CSK had a good line-up. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad were solid openers by then, Shivam Dube, Robin Uthappa, and Ambati Rayudu formed a good middle-order but weren't consistent. On good days they would get scores but the bowling wouldn't deliver with Deepak Chahar ruled out of the season and the backup bowlers not as solid in the death. They went through five losses which could have gone either way, getting really close and that proved the difference in between 4 and a potential nine wins. The line-up though succeeded a season later with little change and more license to go with intent. The addition of a rejuvenated Ajinkya Rahane, a death bowler in Pathirana, and a six-basher in Shivam Dube proved to be a huge difference. 

2024 could have seen a repeat had the batters maintained their form. Rahane wasn't at his best while Shivam Dube and Rachin Ravindra tailed away. However, rather than the batting, it was the bowling that was a concern as CSK kept losing players to injury and the lack of depth in their spin attack proved. 2022 and 2024 though had one thing in common. Both teams had batting line-ups that showed intent and had genuine hitters. What is missing in 2025? 

At the outset, it looks like 2025 sees a problem similar to what CSK had in 2020. The bowling is solid with a handful of options. Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana and Noor Ahmed are doing the job well while Ashwin and Jadeja are bound to bring their best as the season goes on. The batting line-up though is where the concerns begin. The side has the names but those names at the moment do not look capable of replicating or getting close to replicating the magic of a Travis Head or Nicholas Pooran.

In all likelihood, Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad, incredible players, are not genuine six-hitters and rely more on timing and a smooth shift of gears. Rahul Tripathi is quirky and can find interesting ways to score but he has been all at sea against pace and is not helping the cause in the powerplay. Devon Conway is on the bench but he too is more a player in the Mike Hussey mold, who relies on smoothly shifting through the gears. Down the order, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar are yet to show their skills but both are again not the most famous for playing with the long handle. In Shivam Dube, CSK has one of the two genuine big hitters in the side. He is a spin basher in his own right but it looks like the sides have found him out this season and his batting position too is an issue with him coming in too late. The point at which he comes is another concern with absolutely no momentum or pressure on the bowlers for him to feed on and find a mistake, making it easier for them to put pressure on him. In Ravindra Jadeja, CSK has a franchise legend but he too seems to have lost the old hitting ability and looks very shaky against spin. At 43, MS Dhoni remains their best bet to clear the ropes on brute force but his ability to bat up the order has made his impact far too limited.

Against Rajasthan Royals it was evident that CSK was a little outdated. For a decade of the Super King's dominance, their template was to keep wickets in hand and take the game deep. Seeing them at 60-1 in the first ten and 120-3 in the 15th over was a normal feature. Suresh Raina would give the impetus and Dhoni and Jadeja would finish ensuring CSK got to 170-180, which was once a good score. Is 180 a good score today though? Given the presence of the impact rule and how teams use the power play pressure transfer happens with ease chasing such scores. CSK were 120 in the 15th over in the previous game as well. They had the platform, but the momentum was not there. Rajasthan made 79 in their powerplay while CSK only made 5 in their first three overs. They were playing catch-up the whole game with a clearly outdated strategy.

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CSK though have to work with what they have in the end. They made Ajinkya Rahane an incredible aggressor and proved that players who go through the gears smoothly can still succeed in today's game. Likewise, there definitely is room for players like Rachin Ravindra, and Ruturaj Gaikwad along with the Tripathis and the Hooda's. However, they need to find form fast and Rahul Tripathi in particular will have a role to play as CSK are banking on him heavily to get the side off to a good score. Not using the powerplay is a crime in T20 Cricket and his positive approach will be very important. CSK are only three games in and there is a long way to go but can they turn it around and find the momentum with the bat? At the moment it looks like a repeat of 2020 is on the cards but things can change and CSK will hope it does soon. Their bowling is pretty good and Dhoni down the order has looked good as well while Ravindra Jadeja may well be able to support him. The top though needs to find form fast as does Shivam Dube, who is probably the most important player in the line-up with the impetus he can provide.