IPL 2025: How can MS Dhoni's CSK still qualify for the IPL playoffs?

This is the first time CSK have lost three consecutive games at home. In order to qualify for the playoffs this season, it is a tough road ahead for the Yellow Army.

The 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has turned out to be a major disappointment for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The five-time champions have played six matches so far and suffered defeat in five of them — marking the first time in the franchise’s history that they’ve lost this many games in succession.  However, the 5-time champions roared back at the Ekana Stadium as they registered their 2nd win of the season, beating LSG by 5 wickets to keep their playoff hopes alive on the night.    Check LSG vs CSK LIVE SCORE & MATCH UPDATES HERE    

Also read: LSG vs CSK - Lucknow pitch report | Head-to-head stats | Playing 11 & Matchups | live streaming | Lucknow vs Chennai full scorecard

 

After Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament due to injury, there were hopes that MS Dhoni's return to captaincy would revive CSK’s fortunes. However, that turnaround is yet to materialize. On Friday, April 11, CSK suffered another heavy defeat — this time an 8-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

 

Despite this poor run, CSK’s chances of making the playoffs are still mathematically alive. Here's a breakdown of their playoff equation:

 

CSK’s Playoff Scenario: 

With 2 wins in 7 games, CSK have 7 league matches left in IPL 2025. If they manage to win 6 of those remaining games, they can finish with 16 points — a mark that has often been enough to secure a playoff spot in IPL history. Should they win all 7 matches, they’ll end up with 18 points, almost guaranteeing a place in the knockout stage.  CSK squad for IPL 2025:   Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Jamie Overton, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal, Sam Curran, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nathan Ellis, Gurjapneet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi  IPL 2025 updated points table 

IPL 2025 points table
POS	TEAM	P	W	L	NR	NRR	PTS
1	GT	6	4	2	0	1.081	8
2	DC	5	4	1	0	0.899	8
3	RCB	6	4	2	0	0.672	8
4	LSG	6	4	2	0	0.162	8
5	KKR	6	3	3	0	0.803	6
6	PBKS	5	3	2	0	0.065	6
7	MI	6	2	4	0	0.104	4
8	RR	6	2	4	0	-0.838	4
9	SRH	6	2	4	0	-1.245	4
10	CSK	7	2	5	0	-1.276	4

  CSK IPL 2025 schedule 

CSK remaining schedule in IPL 2025
Match	Date	Day	Time (IST)	Opponent	Venue
30	14/4/25	Monday	19:30:00	Lucknow	Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
38	20/4/25	Sunday	19:30:00	Mumbai	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
43	25/4/25	Friday	19:30:00	Hyderabad	M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
49	30/4/25	Wednesday	19:30:00	Punjab	M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
52	3/5/25	Saturday	19:30:00	Bangalore	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
57	7/5/25	Wednesday	19:30:00	Kolkata	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
63	12/5/25	Monday	19:30:00	Rajasthan	M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
69	18/5/25	Sunday	15:30:00	Gujarat	Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad