3 min readUpdated: May 22, 2026 12:41 PM IST
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Chennai Super Kings need a major rethink in both approach and squad-building after their IPL 2026 campaign ended with a crushing 89-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Reflecting on CSK’s struggles this season, the 39-year-old said the franchise could no longer depend on the formula that brought them sustained success during the MS Dhoni era, adding that the side now needed greater quality, experience and balance across departments.
“Honestly, I will say this openly, CSK has to invest in quality. They have to invest in quality cricketers,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’
“I mean, make a quality team. With experience. Bowling experience. Variety in fast bowlers. Variety in spinners. A team has to be formed in a good way.”
Ashwin acknowledged the excitement around young players but stressed that experience remained irreplaceable in a tournament as demanding as the IPL.
“Young talent, exuberance of youth, as Ravi (Shastri) bhai says, it excites. But along with that, if there is experience in your team, that is a lethal combination.”
The veteran off-spinner also urged fans to temper expectations around an immediate turnaround.
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“This is not Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. Not at all. That time has changed. And you have to keep in mind that success will come. But it will come slowly.”
Ashwin also questioned whether CSK’s current squad composition truly suited conditions at Chepauk, a venue where the franchise built much of its success over the years.
“Actually, honestly speaking, Shivam Dube’s batting was very positive for Chennai,” Ashwin said. “But I have an observation. I think the squad that is picked to play in their home game, in Chepauk, I think it is not suiting them.”
Ashwin felt that batting successfully in Chennai required patience and adaptability rather than just power-hitting.
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“Whenever I think of Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey — players like them — I feel that to bat in Chepauk’s conditions, you have to do a little attritional batting. You don’t have a wicket to hit through the line like this.”
He also praised youngster Kartik Sharma for showing traits that could suit Chennai’s traditional style of cricket.
“Kartik Sharma has that ability. He plays the spinner a little late, he plays inside-out shots, he uses his feet in front. Today’s batters, if you count them on one hand, how many have the ability to use their feet while batting?”
CSK’s defeat to GT also marked the third straight season in which the five-time champions failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs, underlining the scale of the transition facing one of IPL’s most successful franchises.
