Why drop Akeal Hosein? CSK fans went berserk when Matt Short vs GT disc fell

Chennai Super Kings fans were unhappy when they decided to drop Akeal Hosein for the must-win game against Gujarat Titans and opted to pick Matt Short instead. Hosein has been in good form for CSK this season, picking up eight wickets in seven matches.

IPL 2026, GT vs CSK: Update | Scorecard

CSK made two changes for the game bringing back Gurjapneet Singh and Short for Hosein and Prashant Veer. Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the decision was made according to the match situations.

“We have a few changes as per the situation. Unfortunately Akeal misses out on Gurjapneet. Matt Short comes in for Prashant Veer,” Ruturaj said.

GT vs CSK: Playing XI

Chennai Super Kings playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh

Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.

Influence of partial:

Chennai Super Kings: Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Macneil Hadley Noronha, Kuldip Yadav

Gujarat Titans: Cast: Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya

WHAT DID CSK FANS SAY?

Chennai fans have been left scratching their heads wondering how Hosein was removed because of Short, who has struggled to impress this season.

In the two matches he has played, the all-rounder has scored 36 runs from two matches and is wicketless in the games. He conceded 39 runs in the match against SRH in Hyderabad.

Chennai need a big win to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. A win in Ahmedabad on Thursday will not be enough for them to secure a place as they will only manage 14 points.

Chennai will need RR, PBKS, KKR to lose their last matches to secure a place in the playoffs.

– The end

Published on:

21 May 2026 19:34 IST

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