The Chennai Super Kings are already showing signs of trouble after they lost to the Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and batting coach Mike Hussey have ideas about what went wrong. The Chennai Super Kings batting style, which is usually aggressive did not work well on a pitch in Guwahati that favored seam bowlers. This has raised questions about the teams strategy. How well they can adapt to different situations.
What went wrong for the Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati?
The Chennai Super Kings innings never got back on track after a start. They were all out for 127 runs in 19.4 overs. The Chennai Super Kings lost four wickets in the powerplay. Had to play it safe too early. The conditions were clearly good for seam bowlers. The Chennai Super Kings batsmen did not adjust. After the game Gaikwad said:
“I was not very frustrated. The conditions were tough at the start especially when facing Jofra and Burger. They bowled well and even the medium-pacer was a bit tough. The spinners also got some help. We could have batted better. Taken the game deep. Maybe we could have scored 150-160 runs. But nowadays you never know what a good score is so you just have to keep going. I think it was one of those days when the pitch was a bit tough. So I am not frustrated all.”
The Chennai Super Kings came into the IPL 2026 with an attacking mindset but this game showed they are not flexible. The top order kept playing high-risk shots when the ball was moving which led to a collapse that decided the game.
Hussey admitted that they should have done things differently: “There was some movement on and our batsmen struggled to adjust. If we could do it again we might have been more careful. Tried not to lose too many wickets in the first six overs.. It is easy to say that now. The way the game is played today teams want to be aggressive and play their shots. The conditions were not right for that today.”
This difference between what the Chennai Super Kings wanted to do and what they actually did was the problem with their innings.
The Rajasthan Royals calm and collected chase showed how big the gap was. They finished the game in 12.1 overs with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scoring 52 runs in 17 balls and Yashasvi Jaiswal playing a great supporting role.
The Rajasthan Royals did things differently:
- They quickly figured out the pitch conditions.
- They were aggressive but in control not just hitting blindly.
- They dominated the powerplay, which won them the game.
- This contrast showed that the Rajasthan Royals understood the game better than the Chennai Super Kings.
Is it time for the Chennai Super Kings to think about what went wrong or start blaming each other?
Gaikwad did not seem frustrated. He talked about how the team executed and the conditions. Hussey on the hand said they misread the situation. This small difference in what they said suggests that the team is already thinking about what they did wrong.
Gaikwad also said: “We just put it behind us and move on. We have a game in three days. We need to make sure everyone is in a mindset. It is good that we have a lot of players. It was a start but it is good to get a game out of the way and start with a lot of mistakes. Hopefully we will get better from here.”
He also talked about how unpredictable T20 cricket’s today: “I do not think you can plan everything. With the impact player you never know what a good score is. So you do not often see games going all the way to the 20th over when you are defending 150, 160 or 170 runs. I think it is about trusting yourself and your game as a batsman. If you have the chance you should go for it. Today it did not work,. We can be better at batting.”
The Chennai Super Kings were also missing some players, like MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis, which affected how calm and powerful they were.
