It's been the second consecutive season where Chennai Super Kings are having difficulty in the playoffs race. They ended up in fifth place last season but did make a strong effort until their last match in the league stage, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru narrowly defeated them to advance to the playoffs, but their situation has deteriorated this year. The five-time champions are currently sitting at the bottom of the points table for this season and require something miraculous to reach the top four from this point onward.

They began the season with a victory over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at Chepauk, but since that initial success, their weaknesses have been revealed match after match. Their batting order does not appear adequately prepared for the rapid T20 format, as players like Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tripathi have failed to provide the essential firepower in their middle order. Their heavy dependence on Shivam Dube to deliver big shots during the middle overs has also attracted criticism. Additionally, Ruturaj Gaikwad's injury forced them to revert to their five-time IPL-winning captain MS Dhoni, which many believed might be a fortunate turn of events, yet their fortunes did not change. They have won only two out of their nine matches to date.

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja spoke about Chennai's struggles over the past two seasons and mentioned that the 2024 season would be an emotional one for them following their success in 2023, but he did not hold back in his criticism of their performance this year.

“The last one was probably more emotional, don’t forget they won the year before that. So you know, sometimes when you go in, you do get emotional, you stick to the same players, and you know, hope that it’ll happen. But there was probably a curve that was heading down. This year’s performance, I’m a big Chennai Super Kings fan and a Mumbai Indians fan from one. Dhoni and Tendulkar are the reasons why most of our generation probably looks at these two teams,” Ajay Jadeja, JioStar Expert, responded to Hindustan Times' inquiry during a selected media interaction concerning upcoming key matches as teams compete for the TATA IPL play-offs.

He emphasized that the auction is where Chennai fell short in securing enough firepower, which is what has led to their significant decline this season.

“So I am also a little disappointed, but I think that the auction was where you could see that, you know, they do not have what, you know, the firepower, that, you know, most other teams have acquired. So that was probably the key to start with. And then, naturally, when things don’t go well, you lose,” he further stated.

"Conway came to three games, Rachin is now out"

Jadeja also highlighted the unpredictability in the Chennai Super Kings' lineup this year, as they have been making numerous adjustments this season, which is something different. The five-time champions were recognized for supporting their players prior to this season, which Jadeja also noted, but the disappointing outcomes and absence of intensity have compelled them to make frequent alterations.

“Chennai, throughout the years, I’ve been following them closely, they would remain consistent. I don’t know if you recall that it was Shane Watson, who struggled all the way to the final, yet he still participated in all those matches. This year, Conway appeared in three games, Rachin is now unavailable. So that is something different that I’m observing with them. I don’t know the reason, but perhaps due to the uncertainty surrounding this year's auction, this is also what we are witnessing,” he concluded.

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