Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, had some tough words for the Chennai Super Kings and their seasoned off-spinner R Ashwin after their recent game against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 11. CSK really struggled in that match, putting up only 103 runs in their 20 overs, which has got to be one of their worst showings with the bat in IPL history. When KKR went to chase the low score, they did it effortlessly, finishing the job in just over 10 overs, marking CSK’s third loss in a row at their home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Ashwin’s performance has been a letdown too; he gave away 30 runs in just three overs, a big part of the problem with CSK’s bowling. He bowled one over in the powerplay, allowing 12 runs, and it seems like he just can’t contain the batters early in the game. In his next over, Sunil Narine really took him to task, hitting two sixes and scoring a quickfire 44 runs off just 18 balls. With a price tag of Rs 9.75 crore, Ashwin was expected to step up and lead the bowling attack for CSK, but so far in IPL 2025, he’s taken only six wickets across five matches while his economy rate sits at a concerning 9.90 runs per over. His average of around 40 runs per wicket isn’t what the team had in mind when they brought him onboard.
The defeat really stemmed from how things went down in both powerplay overs. CSK could only scrape together 31 runs in their initial six overs, while their bowlers let KKR score a staggering 71 runs in the same timeframe. That shows a clear difference in both energy and execution.
Chopra pointed out that CSK and Ashwin need some serious reflection, especially after they bowled to Narine. He mentioned, Sure, CSK wasn’t going to win that game, but they missed the chance to gain some confidence with their bowling. He suggested they really needed to execute their plans better, saying, Not only did they drop the match, but they also lost their bowling confidence in the process, and that’s not a good situation to be in. He added, Ashwin’s numbers—30 runs in three overs—prove that he hasn’t been on point this season. It’s just piling on the pain for the team.
Ashwin, who stepped back from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia last year, hasn’t been much help with the bat either. Coming in at No. 6 on Friday, he only managed to score 1 run off seven balls. CSK had high hopes for their spin trio, which includes Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmed, thinking they would be a formidable force in IPL 2025. Yet, it’s Noor who’s been putting in the hard yards and consistently delivering, grabbing 12 wickets so far this season. Meanwhile, Ashwin and Jadeja have only managed seven wickets combined over six matches, which certainly doesn’t look great for a team that banks so heavily on its spin strength.
Download the CricInformer app
Take CricInformer with you. Get our app for cricket news and updates on your phone.