Ahmedabad, 22 May (H.S.): Chennai Super Kings concluded their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign with an 89-run defeat against Gujarat Titans. Although the team failed to qualify for the playoffs, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed pride in the squad’s fighting spirit and the performances of its young players throughout the season.

CSK endured a difficult start to the season, suffering three consecutive defeats. However, the team staged an impressive comeback and kept their playoff hopes alive until the final league match. They eventually finished the campaign with six wins and eight losses from 14 matches.

Speaking after the match, Gaikwad said, “The beginning of the season was extremely challenging for us, especially after losing our first three games consecutively. But once we found the right combination, the team started playing good cricket. Unfortunately, injuries disrupted our momentum again. The absence of all-rounders like Jamie Overton and Ramakrishna Ghosh affected the balance of the side. In the last three matches, we had to field teams that were either short on batting depth or lacked bowling resources.”

He further stated that the franchise is currently undergoing a transition phase and that this season successfully provided valuable exposure to several young players.

“Many people do not acknowledge that we are a young team going through a transition period. Around eight to ten players in our squad had played fewer than 20 IPL matches. In such circumstances, winning six games and producing some outstanding performances is something to be proud of,” he added.

Gaikwad identified the two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad as crucial turning points in the campaign.

“In Hyderabad, we failed to chase 84 runs in 10 overs despite having seven wickets in hand. Even in Chennai, we could have restricted them to around 180. There were several matches where we came extremely close to victory but could not finish the job,” he said.

The CSK skipper also heaped praise on the franchise’s emerging talents, highlighting the contributions of Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel and Dewald Brevis.

“Kartik was highly impressive and possesses tremendous potential for the future. Urvil played a full season for the first time, and naturally there is pressure in such situations. However, this experience will benefit him greatly going forward,” Gaikwad remarked.

When asked about the future of former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gaikwad replied, “We will only know next year. Both you and I will get clarity during the next season. His absence was definitely felt this year. He is the kind of player who can create pressure on the opposition simply by being at the crease and can completely change the course of a match.”

Although the season proved to be a rollercoaster campaign for CSK, the team management remains hopeful that the experience gained by its young players will strengthen the franchise in the years ahead.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar