New Zealand international Devon Conway may be playing for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), but his heart still says Indian Premier League (IPL) after seeing his former team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) surrender to Rajasthan Royals a few days ago. Conway, who spent three seasons with CSK (2022, 2023 and 2025), was released by the five-time champions following his drought with the bat at the top of the order.
After failing to sell in the IPL 2026 auction, Conway signed with Islamabad United for his first PSL stint. He has played just a solitary match in the PSL so far and has scored 26 runs. Conway’s comments came on Tuesday, a day after the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side fell and struggled against Rajasthan Royals.
Sent in to bat first, CSK lost wickets at regular intervals from the start to be nine down with just 94 runs on board. It was Bydon Carse’s 43 that helped CSK reach 127. In reply, Rajasthan Royals rode on a 17-ball 52 from Vaibhav Suryavanshi to race home with eight wickets in hand.
Reaching X, Conway stated that watching CSK’s loss against Rajasthan Royals “hurts”. “Hard to sit out… Watching CSK lose to Rajasthan Royals hurts. PSL commitments right now but Chepauk revenge will always be on #WhistlePodu’s mind,” the Kiwi international said.
How was Devon Conway’s performance in CSK?
Conway made his IPL debut with CSK in 2022, scoring 252 runs in seven matches with a top score of 87. In the 2023 season, Conway and CSK changed for the better. Opening the innings, Conway had amassed 672 runs at a strike rate of 139.70 in 16 games. Not only did he finish as CSK’s best player in 2023, he also played a big role in leading them to the title. In fact, Conway was Man of the Match in the final against Gujarat Titans.
However, Conway missed the 2024 season due to injury. He lost form in 2025 before being released. Conway’s PSL debut didn’t go the way he would have liked. Opening the innings with Sameer Minhas, Conway scored just 26 runs with the help of three fours and a six before Mohammad Wasim Jr. caught off the bowling of Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle of Multan Sultans. However, Islamabad United lost the match.
Islamabad United’s second PSL 2026 match against Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi was played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
What next for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026?
After losing in the opening round, CSK return to their den as they host Punjab Kings on April 3 at the M Chidambaram Stadium. It will be interesting to see if Dewald Brevis, who missed the first match due to injury, will return to the playing XI against the Shreyas Iyer-led team that defeated Gujarat Titans.
It should be noted that CSK is already missing the services of MS Dhoni, who was officially sidelined for two weeks due to a calf injury.
