Chennai Super Kings Season Preview IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings, the joint-most successful side in the history of the Indian Premier League, will return to the field with an eye on a record sixth title as Ruturaj Gaikwad gears up for a defining season as a skipper after being handed the reins by former captain and World Cup winner MS Dhoni ahead of the previous campaign. ‘Thala’ Dhoni sprang a surprise as he sent Gaikwad out for the official captains’ picture ahead of the 2024 season in yet another move out of the blue, but this time around, things look more settled around the opener’s leadership of the side which has brought back multiple familiar faces including homeboy Ravichandran Ashwin and fan-favourite Sam Curran, in an act of repatriation with the fabled side from Chennai. Chennai’s providence to retain the services of Dhoni as an uncapped player, due to his inactivity for the national side for a period of over five years, enabled them to hold onto the core of the side that has defined the cash-rich franchise league’s success. From the looks of the outfit on paper, it seems as though CSK have opted to stick to the ‘spin-trick’ that has served their purpose to incredible effect over the years and the addition of Noor Ahmed and Ashwin to the ranks that also include Ravindra Jadeja and Rachin Ravindra demonstrate their inclination to use turners to maximum effect especially on home soil. How CSK Fared In IPL 2024 Chennai Super Kings missed out on the playoff spot in the previous edition of the IPL as the side from the Tamil Nadu capital had to endure a start-stop season that saw them eliminated from the contention for the playoffs. CSK finished just outside the top four as they tallied 14 points in as many games with 7 wins and as many losses to miss out on qualification by the barest of margins. With the painful exit fresh in mind still, the yellow army would look to get back to their brilliant best in the upcoming season in a bid that could see them go clear of Mumbai Indians in terms of IPL crowns. CSK Strongest Playing XI Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Choudhary CSK Full Squad Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramkrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth Chennai Super Kings Full Schedule (All Matches From 7:30 PM IST Unless Mentioned) March 23: CSK vs MI, Chennai March 28: CSK vs RCB, Chennai March 30: CSK vs RR, Guwahati April 5: CSK vs DC, Chennai (3:30 PM IST) April 8: CSK vs PBKS, New Chandigarh April 11: CSK vs KKR, Chennai April 14: CSK vs LSG, Lucknow April 20: CSK vs MI, Mumbai April 25: CSK vs SRH, Chennai April 30: CSK vs PBKS, Chennai May 3: CSK vs RCB, Bengaluru May 7: CSK vs KKR, Kolkata May 12: CSK vs RR, Chennai May 18: CSK vs GT, Ahmedabad (3:30 PM IST)