Abhinav Mukund Criticises CSK’s ‘Average’ IPL 2026 Campaign Despite Late Revival

Former India batter Abhinav Mukund has delivered a blunt assessment of Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign, calling it a “very average season” and questioning whether the five-time champions ever truly looked like playoff contenders.

CSK’s season ended with a heavy defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, leaving them on 12 points and seventh place on the table, although their final position could still change depending on other results.

Speaking after the match, Mukund said CSK failed to establish dominance against the tournament’s strongest teams and struggled to identify their core strengths, especially at home.

“They Never Shifted the Needle”

Mukund pointed out that while CSK briefly revived their campaign with six wins in eight matches, those victories largely came against teams outside the top bracket.

“As much as it looks like they had a decent season with 12 points, they beat Delhi Capitals twice, Mumbai Indians twice, Lucknow Super Giants once and Kolkata Knight Riders once,” Mukund said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.

“They haven’t managed to even shift the needle in terms of the top-three or top-four sides. That tells you the difference between teams competing for the playoffs and teams still some distance away.”

He also highlighted CSK’s struggles at their traditionally dominant home venue, saying the franchise never fully understood its best combination throughout the season.

“The seasons they’ve done well in, they know exactly the team they want to play at home and how they want to operate away from home. This season, they never really found that clarity,” he added.

Injuries Disrupted CSK’s Campaign

CSK bowling coach Eric Simons admitted the side endured a difficult season because of repeated injury setbacks, particularly to key players.

MS Dhoni missed the entire campaign due to a calf injury, while pace spearhead Nathan Ellis was ruled out before the tournament even began with a hamstring issue. During the season, CSK also lost Ayush Mhatre, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Khaleel Ahmed and Jamie Overton at different stages.

Simons described Overton’s absence as especially damaging because of the all-round balance he brought to the side.

“Just as we were getting some momentum, we lost someone like Jamie Overton, who was such a balancing factor for us,” Simons said.

“He was crucial to our middle-overs bowling and could also contribute with the bat at the end of the innings. Losing him forced us into changes we didn’t necessarily want to make.”

Despite the disappointing finish, Simons believes CSK gained valuable insights into their squad composition and young players.

“We’ve learnt a lot about ourselves as a unit and as individuals. Someone like Kartik Sharma came through magnificently this season, and we now understand much better what several players can and can’t do,” he said.

Questions Over Overseas Recruitment

Ahead of IPL 2026, CSK made major squad changes after finishing bottom of the table in IPL 2025. The franchise traded for Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, while also investing heavily in youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.

Mukund praised the Samson trade, saying it successfully addressed CSK’s top-order concerns, but he criticised the franchise’s overseas recruitment strategy.

He questioned whether backup options such as Matt Henry, Matt Short, Zak Foulkes and Dian Forrester were suitable replacements for players like Nathan Ellis and Jamie Overton.

“Nathan Ellis’ back-up is not Matt Henry because they play significantly different roles,” Mukund explained.

“I felt there was a disconnect in the replacements and backup options they picked at the auction.”

However, Mukund remained optimistic about CSK’s Indian core, saying the franchise still possesses strong domestic talent with room to improve.

“The Indian talent is really good. There’s still a ceiling for them and their best performances are yet to come. But they must seriously rethink their overseas setup before next season,” he concluded.