Ruturaj Gaikwad Gives Blunt Reason For CSK's Failure In IPL 2026: "Take Away 3-4 Major Players From RCB"
Ruturaj Gaikwad explained why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were not able to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2026.
- CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad blamed injuries for the team's failure to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2026
- "Successful teams like RCB, if you take away 3-4 major players, it is going to have an impact," he said
- "Those are factors a lot of people don't take into consideration," he added
After finishing last in IPL 2025, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a few more highs in IPL 2026, but could only muster an eighth-placed finish. CSK's campaign was affected by injuries even before the tournament began, with long-term injuries to stars like MS Dhoni, Nathan Ellis and Ayush Mhatre. Nonetheless, CSK have now missed out on the playoffs in three consecutive IPL seasons. Reflecting on the campaign, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad lamented that even champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would struggle if they lost multiple key players due to injuries.
"The last two years haven't gone the way everyone expected. But you have to understand certain dynamics and factors that affect a season. Even in 2025, me being captain and missing more than half the tournament was definitely a setback. Last year too, we had four or five players from our playing XII miss almost half the tournament," Gaikwad said, in an interview with Sportstar.
"Even if you look at the successful teams like RCB, if you take away three or four major players, it is definitely going to have an impact. Those are factors a lot of people don't take into consideration. It is a results-driven tournament and everyone expects CSK to do well every year because that's what the franchise has done for 15 or 16 seasons. But there will always be phases where things don't go your way," he added.
While Dhoni and Nathan Ellis did not play a single match due to injuries, the likes of Ayush Mhatre and Khaleel Ahmed missed most of the campaign too.
Even key players like Jamie Overton and Dewald Brevis missed matches due to injuries.
Gaikwad stated that he felt that CSK had a much better season in 2026 than in 2025, and assured that things would only improve in the future.
"Compared to 2025, I felt we had a much better season in 2026. There will be more improvements going into next year," he said.
CSK collected two more wins in 2026 than in 2025, and were in the playoff running at one point, with stars like Sanju Samson performing well. However, their campaign fell away as they ended the season with three consecutive defeats.
Chennai Super Kings
Royal Challengers Bengaluru