“Their scouting team is not as effective”

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar questioned the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) scouting team after their early elimination from the IPL 2025 playoffs. The Men in Yellow are at the bottom of the standings with only two wins in 10 outings.

CSK have also lost an unfathomable five out of their six home games – their worst in a single season. While the bigger names have failed to deliver the goods, CSK’s youngsters haven’t shone as brightly as those from other franchises.

Their latest defeat to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chennai made them the first team to get eliminated from playoff contention.

Talking about CSK’s woeful performance this season, Gavaskar told Sports Today (via India Today):

“First and foremost, they need to get their auction strategy right. I’m not too sure their scouting team is as effective as those of other franchises. That said, scouts shouldn’t rely solely on leagues like the Jharkhand League, UP League, or others like them. Success in those leagues, often played on smaller grounds against relatively ordinary bowling attacks, doesn’t necessarily translate to higher levels.”

He continued:

“Many players who dominate these leagues with big hitting often fail when they face international-quality bowling. So, if you’re scouting talent, focus more on the bowlers. Strengthening the bowling attack is critical—if your bowlers can restrict the opposition and consistently take wickets, you have a real edge.”

CSK missed the playoffs last year, and their elimination this season makes it the first time the five-time champions have not qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back IPL seasons.

“Any player makes decisions not so much for himself” – Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni’s future

Sunil Gavaskar defended CSK skipper MS Dhoni for continuing to play the IPL, saying the wicketkeeper-batter prioritizes the franchise over himself. Dhoni has shown the occasional glimpse of form this season despite boasting largely mediocre numbers.

The 43-year-old has scored only 151 runs in 10 outings at an average of 25.16 and a strike rate of 148.03.

“Any player makes decisions not so much for himself, but for what is likely to be good for the team. Whatever decision MSD made about playing this season would have been based solely on what’s best for CSK. Any future decision he takes will also depend entirely on what’s good for CSK—not necessarily what’s good for himself,” said Gavaskar (via aforementioned source).

CSK will play for pride for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season, starting with the highly-anticipated encounter against arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight (May 3).