Ambati Rayudu chastises CSK batsmen for their lethargic batting against MI, saying, “No one plays like that anymore in T20 cricket.”

In the 38th IPL 2025 match, Ambati Rayudu, a former player for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), scolded the Yellow Brigade’s hitters for their subpar batting display against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The game was lost by nine wickets for the southern Indian team. After losing the toss, the Super Kings scored 176 runs in the first innings. In the second half of the powerplay, debutant Ayush Mhatre got off to a fast start, and CSK was scoring more than eight runs each innings.

However, when Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja were at the crease initially following his wicket, the game slowed down. Even though they had a nice pitch to bat on, they were unable to hit boundaries or maximums. Prior to the thirteenth over, CSK shown no intention when batting. The batters were unable to take advantage of their batting performance, even in the final few overs. Reaching 200+ runs got extremely challenging as a result.

As cricket has changed, Ambati Rayudu reminded the hitters that it is crucial to have a strong strike rate in the middle overs, particularly on a flat field where the ball is hitting the bat.

“They lost because of those middle overs, which lasted about seven overs and only yielded 35 runs. In T20 cricket, nobody plays like that anymore. Teams now need to score at a respectable strike rate even in the middle overs since the game has changed. CSK had no intention. You must fight even if you lose a game. You can’t merely hope to finish strong later by coasting through a period. What CSK posted wasn’t even close to the minimum score of 190 required for that pitch to be competitive. “During the pivotal middle phase, the batting was subpar,” Rayudu stated on JioStar.

I don’t think they’ll return this season: Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu made it apparent that CSK had a chance to return this season. With a roster like this, CSK has only won two of their last eight games, making it very improbable that they will advance to the playoffs. Since the squad has never placed last, that would be their next goal (to prevent that fate).

“I don’t think they’ll return this season. In his post-match remarks, Dhoni even admitted to that, stating that they are already planning for the upcoming season. They will seek to develop young players and foster a culture of cricket that is bold rather than careless. They need to play more constructively. Ambati Rayudu continued, “Perhaps someone like Ayush Mhatre could get a full run from here on.”