Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came under scrutiny for their death bowling after suffering their third straight defeat in IPL 2026. On Sunday, April 5, CSK lost by 43 runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to continue their run in the tournament.
Death overs remained the main concern with CSK scoring 78 runs in the last four overs. In RCB’s penultimate match, Jamie Overton conceded 30 runs as Tim David struck. Overton rounded the wicket but David kept getting under the ball to find the boundary.
RCB vs CSK: Scorecard | Highlighting
Former Indian batsman and former CSK player Ambati Rayudu criticized CSK’s death tactics. He said the team tried certain angles in practice but MS Dhoni never approved them in matches. Batters found these deliveries easy to reverse, so Rayudu advised to focus on conventional strategies, good yorkers, well bowled slower balls and keep it simple.
“They’ve tried it in practice over the years but it never showed up in games because the WC didn’t sanction the use of that kind of angle in the deep. Even as batsmen, we found it easy to face those deliveries – if you’re only half a foot off the wicket, the angle is completely cancelled,” Rayudu told ESPNcricinfo.
“I think that’s an area they need to explore. Sometimes it’s better to stick to conventional strategies: good yorkers, well bowled slower balls to keep it simple and basic,” Rayudu added.
BOWLING FIGHT ČSK CONTINUES
CSK’s death bowling took a hit, especially after Nathan Ellis was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Spencer Johnson, brought in as Ellis’ replacement, has yet to join the team. In Ellis’ absence, Jamie Overton looked to fill the gap. Bowling around the wicket is unknown to him; before the RCB clash, he had bowled less than two overs like this in his entire career.
In recent years, Super Kings franchises around the world, including the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 and the Texas Super Kings in the MLC, have adopted a strategy of bowling around the wicket, often relying on specialists for the role.
In their first three games, CSK’s bowling has been a major problem, runaway runs at an economy rate of 11.57. Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar had earlier remarked that the team is the biggest challenge for the rest of the tournament will be their bowlingwith batsmen often under pressure to post scores around 225-230.
After the defeat to RCB, CSK remained at the bottom of the table, holding a net run rate of -2.517. The Super Kings will be looking to bounce back when they take on the Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, April 11.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
06 Apr 2026 10:31 IST
