IPL 2026: ‘This is not MS Dhoni’s CSK’ – Ashwin’s brutal reality check after disastrous campaign

Chennai Super Kings (MY photo) Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin delivered a scathing assessment of Chennai Super Kings after their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign ended with a crushing 89-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on 21 May.CSK finished the season with six wins, eight defeats and 12 points, a campaign that exposed several weaknesses in the team. Reflecting on the team’s woes, Ashwin said the franchise can no longer depend on the methods that brought consistent success during the MS Dhoni-led era. According to him, Chennai now needs a complete overhaul in terms of team building, balance and overall quality.“Honestly, I will say it bluntly, CSK has to invest in quality. They have to invest in quality cricketers. I mean build a quality team. With experience. Bowling experience. Diversity in fast bowlers. Diversity in spinners. The team needs to be formed in a good way,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.The veteran off-spinner emphasized that while young players bring excitement and energy, experience remains just as important in a long and demanding IPL season. He believes that the ideal combination is a mixture of youth and seasoned fighters.“Young talent, the exuberance of youth, as Ravi (Shastri) bhai says, it excites. But along with that, if there is experience in your team, it is a deadly combination. This is not Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. Not at all. Those times have changed. And you have to remember that success will come. But it will come slowly,” he added.Ashwin also expressed concern over whether CSK had assembled a team suited to the conditions in Chepauk, a venue once considered their greatest strength. He pointed out that batting in Chennai requires patience and adaptability rather than constant power hitting.“Actually, to be honest, Shivam Dube’s batting was very positive for Chennai,” Ashwin said. “But I have an observation. I think the team that is selected to play in their home game, in Chepauk, does not suit them.Ashwin recalled some of CSK’s most successful batsmen from previous years and explained why an attritional approach is often needed on Chennai’s surfaces.“Whenever I think of Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey – players like them – I feel that to bat in Chepauk conditions you have to do a bit of tiring batting. You don’t have any wicket to cross the line like that,” he added.

Do you agree with Ashwin that CSK needs to invest in quality cricketers?