Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced a disappointing defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their latest Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 encounter on Sunday. This was their second defeat on the trot as they had already lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This prompted former England cricketer Nick Knight to voice his concerns over the team’s batting line-up.Â
The 50-run loss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium vs RCB highlighted CSK’s struggles, particularly at the top order, leading Knight to call for the return of New Zealand opener Devon Conway to partner captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Conway has not been given a chance in the CSK playing 11 yet. Instead, the team has relied upon the opening duo of Rachin Ravindra and Rahul Tripathi to do the job for them. Gaikwad has batted at No. 3 in all of CSK's matches in the IPL 2025 so far.
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"In my top order, I’d have Devon Conway. I’m surprised he’s not playing. I’d play both of them [Conway and Rachin]. I just feel that Gaikwad and Conway at the top are tried and tested. Conway has a terrific record," Knight said as quoted to ESPNCricinfo.
CSK’s decision to split this successful partnership to accommodate Tripathi and Rachin has not yielded the desired results so far in IPL 2025. While Rachin has shown promise, the top-order’s fragility got exposed with early wickets putting pressure on the middle-order. Knight suggested a potential reshuffle, proposing that Ravindra could slot in at No. 3, allowing the middle-order to adjust accordingly.
Nick Knight 'Stunned' to See Shivam Dube Batting After Sam CurranÂ
Beyond the opening conundrum, Knight also questioned CSK’s handling of Shivam Dube, a standout performer against spin bowling. Dube, boasting a strike rate of 169.71 against spinners since IPL 2023, was surprisingly held back until No. 6 in the batting order, coming in after Sam Curran against RCB.
"Why was Dube not batting higher? I was stunned when he came out after Curran. They were so far behind the game at that point, they needed something to get them impetus, energy in their run chase and Dube was just held back."
"If that guy can’t do that in this tournament, I must be seeing things slightly different. For me, Dube could be the man to take this opportunity and boss the middle section of that innings and take his game forward and take the team forward," Knight concluded.
Dube batted at No. 4 against RR. Riyan Parag took a blinder to end his 10-ball 18-run knock. His dismissal was a turning-point as CSK lost by six runs.
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Devon Conway's Performance in IPL
Conway has been a standout performer for CSK in the IPL since joining the franchise in 2022. The New Zealand left-hander has amassed 924 runs in 23 matches at an impressive average of 48.63 and a strike-rate of 141.28. His most notable contribution came during CSK’s title-winning 2023 season, where he scored 672 runs in 16 matches at an average of 51.69 and a strike-rate of 139.71.
It will be interesting to see if Chennai give him a chance in their upcoming match scheduled against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 5.
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