MS Dhoni’s Incredible 17-Year-Old Streak Ends; Chennai Super Kings Hit Unprecedented All-Time Low
Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) season went from bad to worse after a defeat to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With eight defeats in 10 matches, both the franchise and MS Dhoni have hit never-seen-before lows. Here is a look at a few numbers that shed light on their poor campaign –
Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni hit all-time lows |courtesy – BCCI/IPL
Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) became the first team to be officially knocked out of the qualification race as their miserable run in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) continued as they lost their eighth match in 10 outings after a four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday (April 30).
The result means that the Super Kings have now won just two matches this season and seem headed towards a wooden spoon finish. The MS Dhoni-led side have lost each of their last five matches at Chepauk.
Although CSK still have four more matches left, the five-time champions and MS Dhoni have hit an unprecedented all-time low.
The Numbers Behind CSK And MS Dhoni’s Shambolic Season
MS Dhoni’s Incredible 17-Year-Old Finals Streak Ends: With CSK not part of the playoffs, this ensured that MS Dhoni will not be part of back-to-back finals for the first time in IPL history. Dhoni has played the summit clash of the league in 2008, 2010, 2011,2012, 2013, 2014, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023 for the Super Kings as well as the 2017 final while playing for Rising Super Giants.
Dhoni has played the IPL final on 11 occasions, which is the most for any player, with Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, and Ravindra Jadeja joint second on the elite list with eight appearances in the finale of the IPL.
CSK’s All-Time Playoff Run Ends: The Super Kings have now failed to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row after missing out last year on Net Run Rate (NRR). This marks the first time that the Super Kings will now feature in the semi-final/playoffs in consecutive years (apart from 2016 and 2017 when they did not play the league).
The Men in Yellow have featured in the playoffs 12 times, which is the most for any team. They reached the second round in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Before 2024, the 2020 and 2022 seasons were the only seasons in which CSK did not feature in the playoffs.
CSK’s Unprecedented Low At Chepauk: The Super Kings have now lost five games at home for the first time in history. Over the years, a key reason behind their success has been that they are close to unbeatable at Chepauk. However, this time around, the script has not gone to plan as after a victory in their season opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), they have lost all five matches. This included their first-ever defeat at the venue to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and a first loss in 17 and 15 years to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Chennai.
Previously, their worst run at home came in the opening season in 2008 when they lost four of their seven games in the league stage at home. They also lost four matches in 2012, but four matches at the Chidambaram Stadium in 2012. However, that year, each team played eight games at home in the first round, and one defeat was in the final to Kolkata Kinght Riders (KKR). They lost three league stage matches each at Chepauk in 2012 and 2023.
CSK Headed For Worst-Ever Season: With four matches left, this is already CSK’s joint-second worst league stage campaign with eight defeats. They lost the same number of games in the 2020 campaign, while losing 10 in 2022. The Super Kings will have to win three of their four matches to avoid matching the low of the 15th edition and win at least two to match it.
