IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings Miss Playoffs In A Shocking Turn Of Events

The 2024 IPL season witnessed a surprising turn of events as the formidable Chennai Super Kings (CSK), four-time champions and one of the most successful franchises in IPL history, failed to reach the playoff stages.

Despite an illustrious legacy and a star-studded lineup, CSK's campaign fell short this time, marking only the third instance in IPL history that they missed out on the playoffs.

In a strategic move, CSK entrusted the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad while their iconic leader, MS Dhoni, assumed a player's role. Despite winning half of their matches in the season, CSK finished fifth in the points table, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth.

Their fate was in their hands in the crucial last group match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where they needed to avoid a defeat by a margin of more than 18 runs to secure their spot. However, they fell short by 27 runs, sealing their fate for the season.

This rare occurrence of CSK missing the playoffs has only happened thrice since the inception of the IPL in 2008. Interestingly, all three instances occurred within the last five seasons, highlighting the unpredictability of T20 cricket.

The first instance was in 2020 when CSK finished among the bottom two teams with 12 points from 14 games. Similarly, in the 2022 edition, they endured another disappointing campaign, finishing in the bottom two with just eight points from 14 matches.

Notably, the 2022 season saw a change in leadership, with Ravindra Jadeja taking over the captaincy initially, only to see MS Dhoni return to lead the side amid a string of poor results.