Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finished eighth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, with the franchise failing to perform in all departments of the game. MS Dhoni didn’t play a game due to injuries, while the likes of Nathan Ellis, Ayush Mhatre and Khaleel Ahmed also suffered long-term fitness issues. The five-time champions haven’t made it to the playoffs for three consecutive years.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad recently opened up on the disastrous campaign, saying Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would struggle if their key players were ruled out due to injuries.

“The two seasons haven’t been good for us. But it is important to understand the reasons as well. I missed more than half the seasons in 2025. It was a big setback. Last year, there were four or five players who were injured,” Gaikwad told Sportstar.

“Look at the teams like RCB. If you take away their key players, it will impact them for sure. There are some factors which are not considered by critics.

Results drive the tournament, and everyone wants CSK to perform well because the franchise has been consistent for 15 or 16 seasons. There will be seasons where things don’t go our way,” he added.

While Dhoni and Ellis missed the entire season, Mhatre and Khaleel suffered injuries midway through. Jamie Overton and Dewald Brevis were also not available for all the games.

Gaikwad feels CSK had a better season in 2026 than in 2025 and is confident of seeing improvement in the future.

“We had a much better season in 2026 if we compared it to 2025.

There will be improvements in the next year as well, he mentioned.

CSK won two more matches in 2026 than in the 18th season and were in contention for the playoffs, with Sanju Samson performing well with the bat. However, their chances ended with three consecutive defeats.