Ambati Rayudu gives up on CSK: ‘I don't see them coming back, even Dhoni acknowledged’

MS Dhoni walks out to bat against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium (BCCI Photo)

Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu believes the Chennai Super Kings have no chance of winning the IPL 2025 after losing to the Mumbai Indians on Sunday at Wankhede Stadium. The five-time winners are at the bottom of the points table after suffering their sixth defeat in eight games. CSK openers failed to get off to a strong start once more but debutant Ayush Mhatre showed promise with a knock of 32 in 15 balls, which included two maximums and four boundaries. Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube then hit half-centuries to lead the team to 176/5 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first.

Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma played blazing knocks to help Mumbai finish the chase in 15.4 overs with nine wickets remaining. Both batters returned unbeaten as Suryakumar hammered a 30-ball 68 laced with five 6s and six 4s, while Rohit slammed 76 studded with six maximums and four boundaries.

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"I don't see them coming back this season. Even Dhoni acknowledged that in his post-match comments - saying they're already looking ahead to the next season. They'll want to groom young players and build a culture of fearless, not reckless, cricket. They must play with more positive intent. Perhaps someone like Ayush Mhatre could get a full run from here on," said Rayudu on JioHotstar.

In his analysis of the match, Rayudu also mentioned that Chennai had no intention of winning the match. "It was those middle overs - around seven overs for just 35 runs - that cost them. No one plays like that anymore in T20 cricket. The game has evolved, and even during the middle overs, teams need to score at a healthy strike rate. CSK lacked intent. You can lose a game, but you have to fight. You can't just try to coast through a phase and hope to finish strong later. That pitch needed at least 190 to be competitive, and what CSK posted wasn't even par. It was below-par batting during the crucial middle phase," the former CSK batter said.

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Regarding Rohit's comeback to form, Rayudu stated that the opening batsman appeared eager for runs and came up with a powerful knock, which was expected of him. "I think he took a little time to get going, but played some fantastic shots through the off-side. He wasn't just trying to pull everything to the on-side. He has scored a lot of runs before, but today (Sunday) he looked hungry," Rayudu said.

"He wanted to spend time in the middle and finish the game for Mumbai Indians. Knowing Rohit, he's never too far from big knocks, and with the business end of the tournament approaching, these kinds of innings will boost not just his confidence but also of the Mumbai Indians' dugout and management," he added.