The defeat sealed CSK\u2019s elimination from the season, while Gujarat\u2019s result secured a top-two finish.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nFollowing the match, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons said the franchise would still take valuable takeaways from a season marked by the emergence of several younger and less experienced players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think each player goes away with something to work on,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cAs a bowling coach, I put reports together for each guy to focus on over the next nine months, so they come back as a better performer\u2014just like we saw Anshul (Kamboj) return from last season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simmons also felt the tournament helped CSK assess their strengths and weaknesses more clearly as a team. \u201cWe know ourselves a lot better as a unit, and we also know more about the individuals\u2014what they can do and what they can\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed to Kartik as an example of growth during the campaign. \u201cSomeone like Kartik has come along magnificently this season. We know what he\u2019s about. Obviously, we\u2019ve always known what the established players bring and what they\u2019re capable of,\u201d Simmons added. \u201cBut this tournament has helped us understand ourselves as a unit better, and that should stand us in good stead. That kind of learning is important for Stephen (Fleming) too\u2014understanding the balance of the side and what it looks like when we\u2019re at our best. When we play well, we\u2019re a really good unit. So we leave with a clearer sense of who we are as a group and how we need to approach games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Injuries were another major theme in Simmons\u2019 reflections, which he said disrupted CSK\u2019s consistency, particularly the loss of Jamie Overton at a crucial point in the competition. \u201cJust as we were building some momentum, we lose someone like Jamie Overton, who\u2019s such a balancing factor in our team,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n
He explained how Overton\u2019s absence affected both bowling stability and batting flexibility. \u201cHe\u2019s so important to our bowling attack through the middle, which means we don\u2019t have to make frantic changes. And later in the innings, he can also contribute with the bat at the back end,\u201d Simmons noted.<\/p>\n
On the batting-order tweaks CSK made against GT, Simmons said the adjustments were driven by Gujarat\u2019s pace plans at the venue. Matt Short returned to the XI as an opener, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel and Kartik Sharma moved one spot down from their usual positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe looked at what Gujarat have done on this ground\u2014what lengths they\u2019ve bowled and where they\u2019ve been bowling,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cWe identified Short (Matt) as a particularly strong player against short bowling, so we thought we\u2019d counter it by putting someone like him at the top of the order. I felt he batted really well. They bowled very well throughout the innings, and across the tournament they\u2019ve consistently bowled well in their conditions. That\u2019s why we made the adjustment at the top\u2014to get the balance right.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked whether MS Dhoni would feature in IPL 2027, Simmons reiterated that the decision would remain with the veteran. \u201cHe\u2019s hit the ball so well. He obviously had a leg injury, which made running very difficult,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cBut only MS will know, and MS will decide when he\u2019s ready and when he\u2019s right. If he feels he\u2019s not, he won\u2019t play. If he\u2019s right, he will. He\u2019ll make that call in the best interest of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashid Khan: adapting faster and sticking to the plan<\/h2>\n
For Gujarat, spinner Rashid Khan said the match conditions in Ahmedabad stayed largely the same across both innings, and he credited GT\u2019s ability to adapt quicker than CSK.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the wicket didn\u2019t change,\u201d Rashid said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a day-and-night match, it\u2019s a night game. And the bowling attack we have\u2014especially the fast bowling unit\u2014has done a really great job throughout the tournament. On this wicket, if you hit the right area consistently with good pace, there\u2019s something for the bowler.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashid added that Gujarat\u2019s quicker read on the surface and conditions played a key role in backing up their performance. \u201cI feel like we adjusted ourselves with the condition and the wicket quicker than them, and that\u2019s the reason behind why we won again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also highlighted the importance of sticking to a bowling routine with the new ball rather than becoming overly defensive as soon as batters find rhythm. \u201cOn such wickets, you have to bring consistency and keep hitting the right area,\u201d Rashid explained. \u201cYes, you\u2019ll go for runs, but there\u2019s reward. You can also get wickets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashid argued that modern T20 bowling can tilt toward chasing the \u201cdeath overs\u201d mindset too early. \u201cNowadays, if someone hits a couple of boundaries straight away, you start thinking about death bowling\u2014how you\u2019re going to get through that over. But I feel like when you\u2019re bowling in the early stage, you need to be very aggressive. For us, whoever is bowling up top needs to go for it and hit the right area consistently. If you start thinking\u2014\u2018I need to go to the death overs\u2019\u2014that\u2019s when you\u2019ve already lost it,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chennai Super Kings\u2019 IPL 2026 journey ended in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 21, with a heavy 89-run loss to Gujarat Titans\u2014an outcome that knocked CSK…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Simmons Reacts to CSK Exit vs Gujarat Titans","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 heartbreak for CSK as Simmons reflects on the Ahmedabad loss to Gujarat Titans, their 89-run defeat, and what it means for his team.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n
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