Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are walking a tightrope in the IPL 2025. Their latest nine-wicket hammering by Mumbai Indians at Wankhede has left MS Dhoni's team staring down the barrel, languishing at the bottom of the table with just four points from eight matches.

The five-time

champions, known for their resilience, now face an uphill task. To remain in the race for the Playoffs, CSK must win all six of their remaining games. Even then, qualification is far from guaranteed, hinging also on other results and a massive overhaul of their Net Run Rate (NRR), which currently stands at a dismal -1.392, the worst in the league.

In their most recent clash, CSK posted 176/5 thanks to half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube. But MI made light work of the chase, with Rohit Sharma (76*) and Suryakumar Yadav (68*) putting together an unbeaten 114-run partnership.

It marked CSK's sixth defeat in eight games, a sequence that includes another dismal loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, where they managed just 103 runs.

CSK can still notch up 16 points if they go on a winning spree. Last season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) managed to sneak into the Playoffs with just 14 points, courtesy of a better NRR. Dhoni and Co. must target big-margin wins to make their case stronger.

Here’s their remaining schedule:

April 25: vs SRH, Chennai

April 30: vs PBKS, Chennai

May 3: vs RCB, Bengaluru

May 7: vs KKR, Kolkata

May 12: vs RR, Jaipur

May 18: vs GT, Ahmedabad

Can Dhoni pull off another miracle?

With Ruturaj Gaikwad sidelined, the team has looked to the veteran Dhoni for leadership. While his tactical genius is legendary, even that might not be enough this time. CSK fans are clinging to memories of past turnarounds and hoping for one final flourish.

For now, the Super Kings' destiny is not entirely in their hands. They must be perfect on the pitch and pray for the rest to fall into place.