The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are out of the playoff race as they were officially eliminated last night. CSK lost their third consecutive game, bowing out of the tournament as they went down to hosts and tournament favourites, the Gujarat Titans (GT), by 89 runs. The Titans outplayed CSK in all facets of the game and deserved to win, almost sealing the top-2 spot. CSK’s campaign was a mixed one, and they were bruised and battered by the end of it. CSK were short in all facets, and we will try to find those fault areas for you here.
Inability to separate Sai Sudharsan-Shubman Gill’s opening pair dented CSK’s chances
CSK won the toss and decided to bowl first in Ahmedabad on a flat track, hoping to keep their very slim hopes alive. But what followed was pure top-class batting by the GT openers while CSK bowlers failed to have any answers to their onslaught. Sai started slowly and got his eye in, but Gill was a man on a mission as he was definitely the aggressor of the two in power play. Sai went at just over run a ball while Gill was fabulous. CSK bowlers, depleted in energy, just did not have any answers to the carnage.
The duo scored 62 in the power play overs of 6 overs, which was not a very fast start, but a solid one at that. Sai also upped the ante post the power play, and it was an attack from both ends. CSK, who did not have Akeal Hosein, did not use Matthew Short despite having him in the XI. It would not have mattered anyway, the way these two were batting. But CSK had no answers to this opening pair, and they made merry. Gill got a reprieve when he was nicked off by Gurjapneet Singh when on 51*. But no one appealed. Gill survived.
The duo put on 125 runs inside 13 overs and set the base for a huge score. Gill eventually fell for 64, but the damage was done as CSK bowlers went on a leather hunt. Sai took over after that, and Buttler gave them the finish as 229 was beyond CSK for sure. The bowling of CSK was exposed with everyone going the distance, including Noor. As they bow out, CSK needs to look at the drawing board and introspect on areas of improvement for the next season.
Losing 4 wickets in the power play in the big chase set the tone for CSK collapsing to a heavy defeat
CSK had a mountain to climb when they were tasked to chase 230 for the win. Sanju Samson and Matthew Short came out to open this time. But Sanju fell to the first ball of the chase to Mohammed Siraj for a golden duck. Thereafter, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad came out to bat and showed better intent than in previous games. He hit a couple of sixes before being dismissed by Siraj, again clean bowled. Urvil Patel came and went for silver duck as Siraj broke the backbone of the CSK chase.
CSK fought for a brief while through the partnership between Kartik Sharma and Matthew Short. The duo added 22 runs before Short fell inside the power play for 24 to Kagiso Rabada. The fact that CSK lost three to Siraj and one to Rabada in the power play set them back a lot, from which they could never recover. Yes, the fight was there as many players after that played their shots, but it was all but nothing, and in the end, they came second best by a big margin by getting bowled out even before 14 overs were bowled.
It was a case of going too hard against quality bowlers and losing your way. CSK faced that and succumbed to their heaviest defeat in the history of IPL. The batting also misfired last night. It was a case of both departments not firing, and as a result, such a heavy defeat took place. The Men In Yellow missed out on the playoffs for the third consecutive year after their 2023 triumph and will have to go back to the drawing board to find solutions to their problems.
Senior players failing under pressure hurt CSK last night
Another important aspect for CSK last night was their senior players crumbling and wilting under pressure. Whether it was with the bat or with the ball, they just crumbled under pressure. Noor Ahmad, who is an experienced member in the CSK set-up and has knowledge of Ahmedabad after playing there for GT earlier, failed to deliver. He was taken down by Shubman Gill, and once that happened, there was no way back for him.
Anshul Kamboj, too, tapered off towards the end, getting hit for runs, and last night was no different. He went the distance in the last three matches, and those are the matches CSK lost as well, coincidentally. Then, coming to the batting, Sanju Samson missed out and went for a golden duck while the wretched form of Ruturaj Gaikwad continued. The CSK captain may have shown more intent, but he lacks the runs needed from him and fell early. While everyone was hitting big, Dewald Brevis failed to get going and made 8 off 9 balls.
Shivam Dube had a good game last night, but Brevis was a disappointment last night and has been a disappointment lately. So, multiple players misfiring made sure that CSK never had a senior player standing up, and it is so much the youngsters can do at this level. There were positives for CSK, but not consistent enough, which means they have bowed out of the tournament. One hopes CSK comes back stronger and better with lessons learnt for next season.
What Lies Ahead
CSK are done and dusted for IPL 2026. GT, on the other hand, are sure to play Qualifier 1. They will just have to wait for tonight’s result. It is SRH taking on RCB in Hyderabad. SRH has to win by a big margin to come into the top 2. A win for RCB secures top spot, and even a narrow loss will secure the top 2 position for RCB. So, GT will be watching and hoping that RCB wins or loses by a narrow margin.
Let’s see how this fixture will pan out in Hyderabad later tonight, the home of the Orange Army.
Also Read: GT vs CSK: Sai Sudharsan’s Fabulous Innings Dumps CSK Out Of Playoffs Race