In what turned out to be a night of despair for the Chennai Super Kings, the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions suffered a crushing 8-wicket defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025, in front of a stunned home crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk. It wasn’t just a defeat – it was a historic humiliation that exposed the cracks in the team’s planning, execution, and approach. The defeat also prompted a scathing critique from former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who didn’t hold back in voicing his discontent with CSK’s strategy, team composition, and unimaginative batting order.
CSK’s embarrassing defeat against KKR in IPL 2025
CSK’s batting performance was nothing short of a collapse, registering their lowest ever total at Chepauk—a ground historically known to favor the hosts. KKR restricted CSK to a mere 103 runs in 20 overs, and then chased the target with remarkable ease, wrapping up the match in just 10.1 overs with 59 balls to spare, marking CSK’s heaviest defeat in IPL history in terms of balls remaining. This wasn’t just a loss on the scoreboard – it was a defeat of legacy, strategy, and expectation. Fans and former players alike were left in disbelief as CSK’s batting lineup, filled with seasoned campaigners, looked completely out of sync with modern T20 demands.
Explosive reaction: “Whole CSK XI running on nostalgia”
Srikkanth, a former Indian opening batter and now a respected cricket analyst, minced no words in his post-match reaction. Taking to social platform X (formerly Twitter), the 65-year-old veteran called the performance one of CSK’s worst ever and questioned the team’s outdated approach.
“One of CSK’s worst defeats ever. Powerplay batting looked like a rehearsal for a Test match. Whole XI feels like it’s running on nostalgia. Time to think out of the box, why not try some unsold players like Prithvi Shaw at this point? Even chaos is a strategy,” Srikkanth posted.
One of CSK’s worst defeats ever. Powerplay batting looked like a rehearsal for a test match. Whole XI feels like it’s running on nostalgia. Time to think out of the box, why not try isome unsold players like Prithvi Shaw at this point? Would you try it? , even chaos is a…
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) April 11, 2025
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The powerplay phase was the turning point of the match – or more accurately, the starting point of CSK’s downfall. CSK managed just 16 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in the first 6 overs, one of the slowest starts in IPL history. The intent was missing, the footwork was hesitant, and the shot selection was shockingly defensive. This conservative strategy frustrated both the spectators and experts alike. Srikkanth highlighted this aspect, saying it resembled a “rehearsal for a Test match”- a brutal but accurate reflection of how T20 cricket has evolved while some teams are still stuck in the past.
A potential game-changer sitting idle
Perhaps the most headline-grabbing part of Srikkanth’s post was his suggestion to bring in unsold players, with Shaw being the prime example. Shaw, once touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, had a consistent yet underwhelming stint with Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2024, scoring 1892 runs in 79 matches at a healthy strike rate.
Despite his potential as a natural stroke-maker and aggressive opener, Shaw was not retained by DC ahead of the 2025 mega auction and remained unsold at a base price of INR 75 lakh – an outcome that surprised many. Srikkanth’s argument is simple: CSK need fresh energy at the top, and Shaw could provide just that. His aggressive intent, powerplay dominance, and youthful confidence are attributes the current CSK top order sorely lacks.