IPL 2025: Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK players seek blessings at Hanuman temple ahead of Lucknow Super Giants match

Chennai Super Kings players visited the Hanuman Garhi Temple in Ayodhya on the eve of their Indian Premier League match against the Lucknow Super Giants, on Monday. Regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a hairline fracture to his elbow, was amongst the CSK squad members getting blessings at the temple.

Also at the temple were CEO Kasi Viswanathan along with players Rahul Tripathi, Ramakrishna Ghosh, and Anshul Kamboj. Watch here:

Tough season

CSK can definitely do with some divine intervention as they are rock bottom in the IPL standings with just one win in six matches. After their opening fixture victory against the Mumbai Indians, the 5-time champions have slumped to five consecutive losses as their season has nosedived after a promising start.

Their fifth loss came on Friday, April 11, 2025, at home to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament prior to the game, which marked the return of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as CSK captain after a gap of 684 days.

The 43-year-old couldn’t bring his midas touch to CSK’s season as they put on their worst batting performance in IPL 2025, slumping to 103/9 in their 20 overs. KKR romped to victory as they chased the target in 10.1 overs, as they relegated CSK to a hattrick of home defeats and to the bottom of the IPL standings.

LSG vs CSK IPL 2025

CSK’s opponents are sitting pretty in third position with 8 points to their name and the hosts enter the fixture on the back of a hat trick of wins. Their last victory, an impressive 6-wicket win, came against the Gujarat Titans at the same venue as Monday’s encounter.

South African opener Aiden Markram returned to form with a Man of the Match performance (58 of 31) while West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran treated the LSG fans to a six-hitting clinic during his devastating innings of 61 off 34.

The signs are ominous for the Chennai-based franchise as the form trajectory for both teams couldn’t be more contrasting.

The 5-time champions will hope the blessings they received from the temple will translate to a better performance on the field as they will need all the help to beat a very strong LSG side in front of their own crowd.

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