IPL 2025: 3 players who were underutilised by Chennai Super Kings

IPL 2025: Nathan Ellis (Source: IPL/X)

The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League was one to forget for . It was the first time in their 16-season history that they finished rock bottom of the standings. There were a whole lot of reasons behind the five-time champions going through their worst campaign till date.

One among many was their strategy around team selection and roles in general. They used a total of 22 players throughout the course of the tournament. However, there were some players who were deprived of the game time which they should hae ideally received.

IPL 2025: 3 players who were underutilized by CSK 3. Shreyas Gopal

Acquired for INR 30 lakh at the mega auction, did not get to feature in even one out of the 14 league phase games CSK played. It was expected that the expertise of Gopal will be utilised by CSK, at least during their games in Chennai. However, Gopal was nowhere to be seen.

This came as a shock to many due to the stellar run Gopal had enjoyed in the 2024-25 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He had secured 18 wickets in 10 games at an average of 4.98, finishing as the joint-third-highest wicket-taker.

2. Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Coming into IPL 2025, had an impressive white-ball domestic season. Not so much in terms of wickets, but the tearaway quick maintained an excellent economy rate of only 6.70 in the seven games he played in the 2024 installment of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

It surely seemed as if CSK would follow the blueprint KKR followed in 2020 and back Nagarokoti as a new-ball over. However, nothing of that sort occurred. Other than their two frontline spinners in the form of Noor Ahmad and Ravindra Jadeja, Khaleel Ahmed (14 matches), and Matheesha Pathirana (12 matches) featured.

1. Nathan Ellis

played in CSK's tournament opener against Mumbai Indians. Out of the four bowlers who bowled their entire quota of overs, Ellis proved to the most expensive (1/38). CSK ended up winning the game by four wickets.

Subsequently, he was not picked in the XI for CSK's next 11 games until when the season came to a halt due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. He did not return for the IPL after the tournament was restarted.