Chennai Super Kings have been knocked out of the IPL 2026 playoff race after slipping to Gujarat Titans in a must-win encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The defeat leaves the five-time champions unable to break into the top four for a third season in a row.
CSK finished fifth in 2024, before ending last year with a wooden-spoon finish—an outcome the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side had not previously faced in the MS Dhoni era. Coming off those setbacks, the franchise entered this campaign under pressure to arrest the slide, but the margin for error proved unforgiving.
Quick facts
At a glance
- CSK were eliminated from IPL 2026 playoff contention after losing to Gujarat Titans.
- The match was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
- CSK missed the top four for the third consecutive season.
- CSK finished fifth in 2024 and bottom/wooden spoon in the previous season.
- Virender Sehwag pointed to CSK’s batting as the biggest concern and cited injuries to key names.
- Sehwag highlighted struggles in the middle order, including Dewald Brevis.
- Mohit Sharma said CSK’s bowling unit also had a difficult spell during the off-season.
- CSK last won the IPL title in 2023, when Dhoni captained the team.
Sehwag pinpoints batting issues
Virender Sehwag was blunt in his assessment, calling CSK’s batting the primary worry of the season. He also acknowledged that the franchise had been dealt setbacks through injuries to several key players, describing those absences as a major blow.
Sehwag said CSK’s batting lacked the sort of steadiness shown by other teams. He argued that consistency can still produce results even in a tight league, but stressed that when a side cannot chase totals in the 180–190 range and is dismissed under 160 while batting first, it becomes a serious concern.
Middle-order problems and Brevis
He further criticised the output from the middle order, with Dewald Brevis a focal point. Brevis had been expected to play a major role this year after a strong finish to the previous season, yet Sehwag felt the performances did not match the anticipated impact.
Sehwag said CSK experimented with multiple batters at numbers three and four, but none managed to offer consistent returns. He noted that players such as Mhatre, Urvil and Sarfaraz were also tried at number four, before adding that in the game against Gujarat, Gaikwad himself batted at number three. In Sehwag’s view, CSK were ultimately let down by their batting.
Mohit Sharma on bowling as well
During the same discussion, former CSK fast bowler Mohit Sharma suggested that the team’s bowling unit did not get the best of times in the off-season either. His comments pointed to a broader concern with overall squad readiness heading into the campaign.
For context, CSK last lifted the IPL trophy in 2023, with Dhoni serving as captain. Since then, the franchise has struggled to return to its usual standards, and Thursday’s loss has now made the playoff outcome for 2026 impossible.
