Chennai Super Kings may have wrapped up IPL 2026 with a record that kept them in the conversation, but Eric Simons believes the side has taken away valuable lessons from the campaign. The CSK bowling coach said the team has “learnt a lot about ourselves as a unit and as individuals” after a season that tested their depth, while Abhinav Mukund was far less satisfied, arguing that the five-time champions were “very average” and never truly understood their home strengths.
Injuries and fitness issues were a major theme for CSK across the tournament. MS Dhoni missed the entire season due to a calf problem. Nathan Ellis, who was expected to lead their pace attack, was ruled out before the competition even began with a hamstring injury. CSK then lost Ayush Mhatre, Ramakrishna Ghosh and Khaleel Ahmed at different stages, and the disruption became sharper when Jamie Overton was ruled out at a crucial point in their run—just when the team were gaining traction and when Overton’s contribution had become a key part of their balance.
Speaking at the post-match press conference after CSK’s final game—where they were beaten by Gujarat Titans (GT)—Simons explained how the team approached squad management and preparation. He said a championship side must get its equilibrium right, make personnel adjustments well before a match based on conditions and roles rather than simply reacting to form. For CSK, that clearer sense of identity and capability has been one of the season’s most important takeaways, with Simons adding that the tournament helped them understand both the group and the individual limits and strengths more clearly.
Simons also pointed to the progress made by certain players, with Kartik [Sharma] singled out for praise. He said the team knew what the established performers were capable of, but the wider growth for CSK came from learning how the unit functions together, and that improved understanding should stand them in good stead moving forward.
The bowling coach further linked CSK’s struggles to a combination of youth, inexperience and untimely setbacks. He said the squad was, across the board, either young or not extensively experienced, and that unlucky injuries struck precisely when momentum was building. Losing Overton, who acted as a balancing factor in the middle overs and could also contribute late in innings, forced CSK into constant adjustments and affected how smoothly their plans could be executed.
Form swings defined CSK’s season. They began IPL 2026 with three consecutive losses, then produced a strong recovery with six victories in eight matches. That momentum, however, was followed by another stretch of three defeats in a row. The six-win run gave CSK realistic hope of making the playoffs, yet Abhinav argued that it was ultimately misleading because of the quality of opposition they had overcome during that period.
In his view, CSK’s 12-point total and seventh-place finish—an arrangement that could still change depending on results elsewhere—should not be treated as evidence of a sustained competitive edge. Abhinav stressed that the sides CSK beat were not among the top tier of the table. He highlighted that CSK collected those points largely through victories over Delhi Capitals (DC) twice, Mumbai Indians (MI) twice, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) once, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) once. The key point for him was that CSK did not meaningfully challenge the leading top-three or top-four teams, and that gap was the real indicator of where the team stood.
Abhinav also underlined CSK’s home identity, saying the team did not appear to know their strengths at home—something they typically take pride in. He contrasted that with seasons when CSK have performed well, arguing that those campaigns have always reflected a clear understanding of how they want to play at their home venues and what additional strength they bring when they travel.
Before the season began, CSK responded to their bottom-of-the-table finish in IPL 2025 by making significant changes to their squad. The most prominent move was acquiring Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals (RR), taking his place after trading out Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. CSK also invested heavily in two emerging youngsters, Prashant Veer and Kartik, aiming to build for the future while maintaining competitive balance.
Abhinav said the Samson trade addressed an important need from the previous season, describing it as a success on that front. However, he questioned what came next—particularly the impact on bowling resources. He argued that while the auction can provide plenty of bowlers at relatively low cost, the real question is whether those options genuinely match the roles CSK requires. In his assessment, CSK had more work to do in their overseas planning, pointing out that their overseas group included Matt Henry, Matt Short, Zak Foulkes and Dian Forrester, and suggesting that all four were unlikely to feature as core selections next season. He added that they were tied to other franchises within the same wider ownership ecosystem, which, in his view, raised questions about how strategically the squad was being built.
Abhinav then outlined the overseas bowling options he felt were actually close to the playing XI level, including Spencer Johnson, Overton, Akeal [Hosein], Ellis and Noor [Ahmad], describing these as the five choices CSK would effectively retain. Beyond that, he said CSK would still need three additional overseas slots to cover backup roles—such as Overton’s cover or Ellis’s cover—while noting that the backup profile for Ellis would not necessarily align with Matt Henry because their bowling roles are notably different. He suggested that Zak Foulkes also did not fit the backup requirement in the way CSK needed, which he claimed explained why Spencer Johnson was brought in.
To complete his criticism, Abhinav argued that there was a disconnect between the replacements CSK selected and the backups they planned to rely on. He said CSK should reconsider their approach, insisting that the Indian talent available is strong and that there is still room for players to reach higher levels in their best performances. At the same time, his message was clear: CSK’s next step must involve improving the overseas replacement strategy so that the team’s balance remains intact even when injuries strike.
