IPL 2025: KKR and CSK Plagued by Similar Issues, Kolkata in Dire Need to Address MS Dhoni-Like Situation After Loss to MI

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the toughest T20 tournaments in world cricket, and there is no shying away from this fact. The league has its own set of challenges, and it is an extremely long tournament that tests a player's fitness, skill, and temperament on a day-to-day basis. This time around, the Indian Premier League will be played over sixty-five days, which is a challenge. With twelve matches already gone by, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings face a similar kind of issue, and it could very well derail their campaign.

Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have endured similar outcomes in the ongoing 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League. Both the teams have played three matches so far and have managed to win only one game. Chennai and Kolkata enjoy a very huge and loyal fan base; both teams have multiple IPL titles to their names, but this time around, things are not quite smooth, and it raises big questions.

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MS Dhoni and Andre Russell Sailing on the Same Boat

This year, there has been a lot of talk about former CSK captain MS Dhoni, his fitness, and his batting. Dhoni had to face a lot of flak after he came to bat at number nine in a match against arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru. According to Stephen Fleming, MS Dhoni can't run between the wickets effectively and hence can't bat for 10 overs. 

This sounds concerning, and it is denting Chennai's chances. But Kolkata Knight Riders are facing a similar kind of situation too. Their stalwart, all-rounder Andre Russell, looks far from fit and can't give his team his full quota of four overs. Now, there is an argument that Russell picked two crucial wickets in the game against MI, but that also happened because KKR had to sub-in Manish Pandey after their shocking batting collapse against Mumbai Indians.

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Chennai and Kolkata in Dire Need to Turn Things Around

The Indian Premier League has just begun, and there is still a lot of time left, but it is time for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings to regroup and rethink. Both Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have batting issues, and this is the biggest reason behind them losing their games. As a matter of fact, Kolkata don't even look like the defending champions as of now. It is the bitter truth, but it is what it is.

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