Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t hide his frustration after Chennai Super Kings suffered a 10-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday night. Set a target of 195, CSK struggled through long stretches of the chase and ultimately fell short, handing Hyderabad a well-earned win. The defeat was CSK’s fourth in six outings, and Ashwin—who once wore the yellow jersey with distinction—was particularly disappointed by what he felt was a below-par display from the five-time champions.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin said the way CSK went about their game left him emotionally shaken. “The way Chennai played today, my heart is not beating that much for them today. I am quite upset. We will have to discuss their team selection,” he said. He added that Sunrisers’ batting had not been something CSK usually had to worry about, noting that Hyderabad had not typically reached 200 against CSK. Ashwin also praised the death bowling effort, pointing out that Anshul Kamboj delivered a standout performance in the final overs. He further remarked that while plenty of talk had focused on CSK’s bowling unit, the franchise had still managed to stay competitive in the tournament largely because of their bowling performances.
Ashwin then zeroed in on what he viewed as tactical missteps, especially around the team composition. In his view, CSK’s decision to omit West Indian spinner Akeal Hosein was a key call that didn’t make sense. Ashwin recalled how Hosein had dismissed Abhishek Sharma during the T20 World Cup in a must-win Super 8 match, suggesting that the matchup experience alone could have made him a strong inclusion. He also pointed to the current struggles of Travis Head, arguing that Hosein’s presence could have offered CSK a better balance in the XI.
“They defended two totals in Chennai, and even today, they gave the game to the batters on a plate,” Ashwin said. He insisted he wasn’t interested in dwelling on the errors of individual batters, instead framing his concern as a bigger question of selection and roles. “You have Travis Head, who is not in form; he is not able to get the ball onto the middle of the bat. And you have Akeal Hosein, who dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the T20 World Cup. You cannot bring in [referring to Matthew Short] someone just because he can bowl off-spin,” he added.
Ashwin also addressed the impact of Matthew Short’s spell, saying the bowler’s introduction didn’t deliver the control CSK would have expected. After conceding 13 runs across his first two overs, Short was punished heavily in his third, with Abhishek Sharma landing three fours and two sixes off him. Ashwin said the way Short was handled in the innings amplified the concerns about the selection. “Fine, you picked Matt Short. I can agree with that call, and he should be praised for just giving away 13 runs in two overs. But it felt like he was brought in only for bowling against the left-handers,” Ashwin said. He argued that CSK’s approach lacked flexibility for a chase of that magnitude, adding that the decision not to play Hosein meant CSK lost a valuable option in a key matchup.
To make his point, Ashwin highlighted Short’s batting contribution as well. “Short played 30 balls to score 34 runs. If he had scored 45 runs in that same time, we would have won the match,” he concluded, underlining how close CSK came—yet ultimately couldn’t bridge—despite the efforts made during the chase.
