The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2026 concluded with Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning their second straight title. The likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans managed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament.ย
One of the most talked-about sides throughout the season has been the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings. The side got off to a horrid start to the season, not being able to win matches. However, the team quickly found its mojo and ended up finishing in eighth place, winning six games and losing eight.ย
After their performances, former India cricketer and CSK legend Ravichandran Ashwin came forward and slammed the side for their dismal strategy in the IPL auction.
“Auction strategies need to be reworked. Two teams picked Venkatesh Iyer and Jason Holder for 7 crores and made the final. Instead of picking two for 14 crores each, they should have gone for these two to achieve a combination of youth and experience. They didn’t gel as a team and had role clarity issues,โ Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.ย
“Other teams suffered injuries before the season itself. But for CSK, injuries aren’t new, and their players got injured after the season started. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t overcome the injuries, which continue to be a problem for them. They gave the wrong insertion points for many players. Using Brevis and Dube as finishers means the decision-making was also lopsided,โ he added.
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No clarity on MS Dhoni as IPL 2026 ends
Another major talking point with the IPL 2026 concluding has been whether or not former India skipper MS Dhoni will play for Chennai in the next edition of the tournament in 2027. It is worth noting that Dhoni was a part of CSK throughout the IPL 2026 but did not feature for the side due to injury.ย
With the season over, there has been no information on whether or not the former skipper will be back for the five-time champions or not, but it could be interesting to see what the coming months bring for the fans of the yellow army.ย
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