One win in six matches: Is it all over for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025? Not quite

Chennai Super Kings find themselves in a precarious position after losing five consecutive matches following their season opener win in IPL 2025. The five-time champions are ninth in the IPL points table, with their latest defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders resulting in their lowest-ever score at their home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.
One win from six matches is a dire position. Yet, the defending champions still have a mathematical chance to reach the playoffs despite their poor start to the season.
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Recent IPL history shows teams can recover from poor starts, as demonstrated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024. RCB won only one of their first eight games before embarking on a six-match winning streak.
RCB's remarkable turnaround included victories against strong teams like SRH, back-to-back wins over Gujarat Titans, a convincing win against Punjab Kings, and crucial victories over Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings in the season finale.

"I had packed my bags in April itself, thinking there was no chance of us qualifying. See where we are standing now. It is amazing how this game can turn, and what is the explanation for that? There is no explanation," Kohli had said to JioCinema about RCB's late-season revival.
IPL history suggests teams typically need seven wins for a playoff chance, while eight wins guarantees qualification. No team with eight wins has missed the playoffs in seasons with 14 matches.
Only one team has qualified for playoffs with six wins - Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019, finishing fourth with a 6-8 record.
CSK can still theoretically achieve nine wins this season, giving them room to lose another match or two.

Seven wins remain a risky proposition for qualification. Statistics show that out of 32 teams reaching seven wins in IPL history, only 12 teams qualified for playoffs - a success rate of 37.5%.
Last season demonstrated this challenge when four teams finished with seven wins and seven losses, but RCB advanced to the playoffs.
CSK's own history offers hope, particularly their 2010 title-winning campaign. That season, they started with a 2-5 record before winning three consecutive home games to level their record at 5-5.

Despite losing two more matches, CSK secured a crucial victory in their final league game against Kings XI Punjab.
The 2010 run featured a memorable finish with MS Dhoni, then 28 years old, hitting two consecutive sixes in the final over to secure the win. Dhoni later described it as one of his most emotional matches.
Fifteen years later, MS Dhoni has returned as captain, facing the challenge of inspiring another remarkable turnaround for his struggling team.