CSK vs KKR: Chennai Super Kings' fifth consecutive defeat, 'Mahi Magic' did not work, KKR registered a win by 8 wickets
In the 25th match of the Tata IPL 2025, the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings were badly outplayed by the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders, who won by eight wickets. The Men in Yellow clearly have some difficult talks ahead of them, as they never really settled in. Additionally, KKR moved up to third position in the overall standings and massively improved their Net Run Rate (NRR) after chasing down the small total of 105 runs in 12 overs.
With Sunil Narine setting the tone and Quinton de Kock contributing fluidly, the Kolkata Knight Riders came out fire in the Powerplay as they chased a small total. In that phase, the two scored 71 runs, ultimately ending the match early. Together, they hit eight sixes, with Narine leading the way with a scorching forty-four off only eighteen deliveries, pushing KKR to the limit. From there, they cruised home with nearly half the overs remaining thanks to Ajinkya Rahane's class and a helpful assist from Rinku Singh.
Only Shivam Dube and Vijay Shankar put up much of a fight as the Chennai Super Kings staggered to their lowest-ever total at Chepauk earlier in the match. Simply said, the rest of the batting lineup did not show up. From the first ball, KKR's bowlers were excellent, with Sunil Narine leading the way with three vital wickets.
The duo of Moeen Ali and Vaibhav Arora contributed one scalp each to complete a commanding bowling performance and hold the hosts in check, while Varun Chakaravarthy & Harshit Rana also supported them with a couple of wickets each.
For CSK, not much went well. To be fair, they had a small score to defend, but their bowlers were never truly in the game. It was always going to be a difficult task against a hitting lineup loaded with power. Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad did manage to take a few wickets, but it was unable to stop their third straight home loss, which is unprecedented in the team's illustrious history.
Updated Points Table
Following this dominating win over the Five-time winners, Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have moved up to the third position and their Net Run Rate (NRR) has also seen a massive gain to +0.803.
CSK, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, suffered their fifth successive defeat of the season in six matches and while they are still placed at the ninth spot, their Net Run Rate (NRR) has suffered a big hit as it has gone down to - 1.554. The situation is worsening for the Chennai-based team and they will have to find some ways to return back to winning ways if they want to stay alive in the playoffs race.
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | NRR | Points |
| 1. Gujarat Titans | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1.413 | 8 |
| 2. Delhi Capitals | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.278 | 8 |
| 3. Kolkata Knight Riders | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.803 | 6 |
| 4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.539 | 6 |
| 5. Punjab Kings | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0.289 | 6 |
| 6. Lucknow Super Giants | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.078 | 6 |
| 7. Rajasthan Royals | 5 | 2 | 3 | -0.733 | 4 |
| 8. Mumbai Indians | 5 | 1 | 4 | -0.010 | 2 |
| 9. Chennai Super Kings | 6 | 1 | 5 | -1.554 | 2 |
| 10. Sunrisers Hyderabad | 5 | 1 | 4 | -1.629 | 2 |