The 2025 edition of the Tata IPL has turned the tables on cricketing royalty. Once-dominant franchises like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), with five titles each, are now languishing at the bottom of the points table. In their place, fresh-faced teams like the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants have seized the spotlight, staking early claims to the playoff berths with composed performances and clever leadership.
But don’t write the veterans off just yet.
Take CSK for example. After a poor start under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership, the franchise turned once again to their eternal captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The result? Two back-to-back wins that brought hope back to the yellow brigade. Dhoni’s decision to promote himself in the batting order, coupled with his vintage calmness in tight chases, reminded fans why he remains a master tactician in this format.
CSK may have lost stalwarts like Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu, but with Ravindra Jadeja offering all-round support and a few young guns like Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube, showing sparks, the men in yellow aren’t out of the race. With just two wins from seven matches so far, they’ll need to win at least five of their remaining seven games to stay in the playoff conversation—but if there’s one man who knows how to engineer comebacks, it’s Dhoni.
Mumbai Indians find themselves in a similar spot—though arguably with more firepower at their disposal. On paper, MI boasts a dream team: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and foreign stars like Ryan Rickelton and Bevon Jacobs. Yet, despite the star-studded squad, they’ve managed only two wins in six matches. The controversial captaincy handover from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya hasn’t helped, with fans visibly disgruntled and the team struggling for cohesion. Rohit’s quick-fire 15s and 20s aren’t enough—MI needs their former captain to anchor innings, not just decorate them.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, are showing the kind of consistency that once defined CSK and MI. With four wins from six games, they’re topping the table and looking every bit like serious title contenders. The Delhi Capitals aren’t far behind, having won four of their five games under the steady leadership of their young core. RCB, with Virat Kohli looking rejuvenated, have won four of six too, and are sitting comfortably in the top four alongside Lucknow Super Giants.
KKR and Punjab Kings started brightly but lost momentum mid-season, each suffering three losses in six games. Still, in a tournament as unpredictable as the IPL, nothing is set in stone until the final weeks.
As a former Ranji cricketer myself, I can say this with confidence: this IPL season is far from decided. The veterans may be down, but they’re not out. In a format like T20, you need muscles in the brain—and Dhoni alone has them. Dhoni and Kohli are proving that age is just a number if your fitness, mind, and spirit are sharp. Virat is once again playing with flair,
Dhoni’s finishing instincts remain intact, and Rohit just needs one good knock to reignite MI’s campaign. Franchises chasing youth at the cost of experience may want to reconsider. In T20 cricket, where momentum swings faster than a Brett Lee bouncer, you need old heads to steady the ship.
So, don’t count CSK or MI out just yet. They’ve done it before. And if history—and MS Dhoni—have taught us anything, it’s this: underestimate the veterans at your own peril.
