It’s been a devastating IPL 2025 season for five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, who have failed to qualify for the playoffs after registering a challenging start to the season. Their struggles have been compounded by a lack of support from the middle order and an underwhelming bowling performance in crucial moments. On Tuesday, they suffered another disappointing loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals after being beaten by 6 wickets.

Even their experienced players such as Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway and R Ashwin have been out of touch, making things worse for the team. In light of CSK’s horrible campaign, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has shared his opinion, saying that the franchise should release a few players ahead of the next season. Chopra also pinpointed veteran player Ravindra Jadeja’s poor performance throughout the season.

“Probably trade Jadeja. You have Dewald Brevis as your No. 4. I will bat him at No. 4. And I am also thinking that this is not going to be the one-two-three any which way. This is a stopgap arrangement where you’ve got Devon Conway with Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel at No. 3. That is not going to be your one-two-three. There is a mini auction in between; if you are releasing Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, it’s common sense that you will actually find somebody who can be an absolute banker at the top and probably a destructor at the top,” Chopra said on ESPNcricinfo.

"Why would you want Ruturaj Gaikwad to bat again with somebody who is not going hammer and tongs? I want to have Urvil Patel at three [and] I would rather have one more guy… I mean, they need Noor Ahmad and Pathirana, then you need two batters: either you get a finisher with Dewald Brevis, or you get a top-order batter with Dewald Brevis.”

Currently, CSK are languishing at the bottom of the points table with 3 wins in 13 games. They will play their last league game on Sunday against Gujarat Titans, where they would hope to clinch a victory to finish the season positively. Jadeja, so far, has scored 280 runs in 13 matches and claimed eight wickets.