In Match 38 of IPL 2025, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were defeated handily by Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium by 9 wickets. MI chased down CSK's total of 177 in 15.4 overs with Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav dominating the chase. By the final stages of the innings, CSK's bowlers were unable to adapt to the Wankhede pitch, and the spinners - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad - were ineffective against MI's top order. In combination with the ineffectiveness of the spinners in the middle overs and bad strategies in the use of bowling changes and field placements, MI's batsmen simply exercised the right to attack CSK's bowling at will.

Although CSK's batting was steady, with contributions from Shivam Dube and Jadeja, the team never looked likely to score at a rate that would pose a challenge to MI. MS Dhoni was dismissed for 4 4runs by Bumrah, but the continued concern about his form against pace bowling was a major worry. There is no question that CSK has continually relied heavily on identified key players who are now too old or continually inconsistent, along with an outdated tactical approach, and were subjected to aggressive momentum from MI. There was no reinvestment into either batting options or developing tactics to either counter the MI batting approach or, worse yet, to become vulnerable to those aggressive tactics. The merged teams' lack of adaptability was ultimately their downfall.

While CSK have the heart and aggressiveness to make changes, they need to find a way to address their nonexistent bowling inconsistencies, add to their bank of tactics, and get their respective players back into form to maintain competitive standing in this tournament going forward.

Also Read: IPL 2025, Match 38: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings Full Match Highlighs

1. Below-Par Total on a Flat Wicket

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got to 176/5 in their 20 overs, but unfortunately they left runs out on a batting-friendly Wankhede surface. While Ravindra Jadeja (53* off 35) and Shivam Dube (50 off 32) provided stability and important knocks, a late-order flourish by CSK was clearly missing, given that at the end of their innings, they were unable to create any momentum when death-bowling experts like Bumrah had still yet to bowl for MI. CSK's innings was without explosive momentum, and given the dew, they would have been in a better position with approximately 200.

2. Lack of Early Wickets and Bowling Inefficiency

CSK's bowlers weren't able to make any early inroads to take any wickets and let MI create an unrealizable platform. When you have an unbroken partnership between Rohit Sharma (76* off 45) and Suryakumar Yadav (68* off 30), you have taken the game away. Spinners such as Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin simply couldn't grip the ball well enough in the dew, and pacers like Khaleel Ahmed were unable to take wickets. Not applying any pressure early on and through the middle overs cost CSK the advantage.

Also Read: Top 3 Reasons why Punjab Kings Lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025 Match 37

3. Dew Factor and Fielding Errors

In his post-match interview, MS Dhoni indicated that dew was a big factor. The moisture in the ball made it hard for the CSK bowlers, especially the spinners, to grip. CSK’s questionable fielding impacted its performance, with several dropped catches and misfields, allowing MI batters to quickly settle in and take advantage of CSK’s cumulative error. Under the wet conditions, defending a below-par score meant CSK had to perform well, which they didn’t do that night.