Chennai Super Kings haven’t had the best of starts to IPL 2025. After winning their opener against fellow five-time champions Mumbai Indians, chasing down 156 runs with four-wickets in hand, CSK have been unsuccessful in their chases since.
Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, CSK were unable to scale a lofty 197 run target at home, coming up 50-run short. On Sunday, CSK once again fell short. With 183 to get versus Rajasthan Royals, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s battling knock wasn’t enough to steer them past the finish line, as they lost by 6 runs.
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With three matches played, CSK are seventh in the IPL points table with a negative net run rate of -0.771 after collecting just two points.
After just one win in three while chasing, CSK’s challenges when batting second have been highlighted. Chennai have chased 111 times in IPL history and won 69, losing 40 with two matches not producing outright results (one tie, one no result).
That is a win-loss record of 1.725 for CSK when chasing.
If the target gets lofty, 180-plus, as was the case against both RCB and RR, CSK’s record becomes poorer.
CSK have had 20 instances of chasing 180-plus targets where they’ve come out victorious 12 times and come short eight times. It brings their win-loss record at 1.50.
Most startlingly, CSK have now lost nine in a row when they’ve been handed a 175-plus target. The streak began in 2022, with twin losses against Punjab Kings. Then they suffered two more defeats in 2023 – against Rajasthan Royals.
They endured three losses when chasing 175-plus targets in IPL 2024. They came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals.
CSK when chasing 175-plus targets in IPL
| Year | Team Batting First | Team Batting Second | Venue |
| 2022 | Punjab Kings – 187/4 (20) | CSK – 176/6 (20) | Mumbai |
| 2022 | Punjab Kings – 180/8 (20) | CSK – 126 all out (18) | Mumbai |
| 2023 | Rajasthan Royals – 202/5 (20) | CSK – 170/6 (20) | Jaipur |
| 2023 | Rajasthan Royals – 175/5 (20) | CSK – 172/6 (20) | Chennai |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 218/5 (20) | CSK – 191/7 (20) | Bengaluru |
| 2024 | Gujarat Titans 231/3 (20) | CSK 196/8 | Ahmedabad |
| 2024 | Delhi Capitals – 191/5 (20) | CSK 171/6 (20) | Vizag |
| 2025 | Rajasthan Royals – 182/9 (20) | CSK – 176/6 (20) | Guwahati |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 196/7 (20) | CSK – 146/8 (20) | Chennai |
Now, after just three matches in IPL 2025, they’ve faced two defeats.
The last time CSK had successfully chased a 175-plus target was back in April 2019 when they had edged Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai. That April night, CSK had won by six wickets but with only one ball to spare.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
