After suffering four consecutive defeats, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who have claimed the IPL title five times, are eager to revive their IPL 2025 campaign. Under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has returned to captaincy following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season-ending injury due to a hairline fracture in his elbow, they are hoping to turn their fortunes around.

The 28-year-old Gaikwad, CSK’s leading run-scorer in three of the last four seasons, sustained the injury while facing Tushar Deshpande during CSK’s match against the Rajasthan Royals on March 30. Although he played in the subsequent games against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, scans have confirmed the fracture.

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“Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of IPL due to an elbow fracture. MS Dhoni will take over as captain,” CSK announced on Thursday.

Dhoni, who previously captained CSK to all five title wins before stepping down ahead of the 2024 season, is now under pressure to reverse the team’s trajectory as they gear up to face the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Currently at the bottom of the 10-team points table with just one win from five matches, CSK faces mounting pressure to change their luck, as another defeat could plunge them deeper into unexpected territory.

Although they showed signs of improvement in their last match against Punjab Kings—falling short by 18 runs while chasing a challenging 219—the team is still searching for solutions, especially at their home ground, Chepauk. Once an imposing venue, the stadium has not provided its usual advantage this season, leading even head coach Stephen Fleming to express his frustration after a heavy loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

The alteration in pitch behavior at Chepauk appears to have impacted CSK’s historically successful formula, particularly affecting their spin-dominant bowling strategy. To reclaim their home advantage, CSK must adapt to the new playing conditions.

**Finisher’s Role**

In the face of adversity, the 43-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni dazzled with a quickfire 27 off 12 balls against Punjab, hitting three sixes and a four. This performance reignited hopes for a CSK turnaround, despite ultimately falling short as PBKS managed to secure the win. Nevertheless, that cameo could provide a confidence boost for the Yellow Army as they head into the next encounter.

With skipper Gaikwad sidelined, the team will rely on the in-form trio of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Shivam Dube to strengthen the batting lineup.

The bowling attack is expected to remain largely unchanged, with Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, and Matheesha Pathirana leading the pace brigade and the spin trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad tasked with turning the tide in their home ground.

In contrast, the Kolkata Knight Riders, three-time IPL champions, face their own challenges, having shown inconsistent form throughout the season. Currently sitting sixth in the table, the team, led by Ajinkya Rahane, has secured only two victories from five games and is in urgent need of consistency.

The KKR bowling unit, having struggled in their narrow loss to Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens, must regroup to contain CSK’s batting attack in Chennai and seek redemption.

The visitors will look to players like Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh to rise to the occasion.

Both teams are eager for a much-needed victory, promising fans an exhilarating contest to kick off their weekend plans.

**Squads**

**Kolkata Knight Riders:** Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Chetan Sakariya.

**Chennai Super Kings:** Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, and Andre Siddarth.