"Replacement league has been won by CSK" - Former all-rounder's cheeky remark after MS Dhoni's men beat KKR in IPL 2025 clash

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan made a cheeky remark on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after their win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025. Chennai beat Kolkata by two wickets on Wednesday, May 7.

Languishing at the bottom of the points table, CSK have had a forgettable IPL 2025 season. They were the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race. However, the five-time winners have been in the news for making some vital replacements for their injured players.

Ayush Mhatre, 17, replaced regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad while Dewald Brevis came in as a replacement for injured Gurjapneet Singh. Most recently, 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel came in as a replacement for injured Vansh Bedi.

Irfan Pathan lauded the team for the replacements they have made, saying their new players will last for a long time for the franchise.

"Replacement league has been won by CSK this season which will last quite a few years for them," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

In their last game, which CSK won against KKR on May 7, Urvil Patel, who made his IPL debut, impressed with his batting. He smashed 31 runs off just 11 balls at a strike-rate of 281.82. Dewald Brevis also played a key role in their win, scoring 52 runs off just 25 balls at a strike-rate of 208.

Ayush Mhatre, the 17-year-old, has also been impressive for them, making 163 runs from five games at a strike-rate of 181.11, including a half-century. With these replacements, who are all young batters, Chennai seem to have resolved the issues they were facing with their batting, which is why Irfan Pathan may have made the remark.

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CSK register third win of IPL 2025

It has been a forgettable IPL 2025 season for CSK, who are at the bottom of the table with just six points from 12 matches. They have lost nine games and have won just three, with the third win coming in the last match against KKR on Wednesday.

Batting first, KKR posted a total of 179/6 on the board from their 20 overs. As mentioned above, Urvil Patel and Dewald Brecis played key knocks in the chase, along with a vital 45 from Shivam Dube, as the Super Kings chased down the target in 19.4 overs. MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 17.

This was the first time since the 2019 IPL that Chennai successfully chased a total of 180 or more, making it a special win for them. With two more games to go this season, Dhoni and his men will look to build on this momentum and end on a positive note.