Chennai Super Kings fail to roar again: Three things CSK must do to revive their fortunes in IPL 2027

Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) hopes of qualifying for the play-offs ended with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans on Thursday in Ahmedabad. CSK thus finished the campaign with six wins and eight losses. They will finish seventh or eighth this season depending on other results.

This is now the third straight season after the triumph of 2023 that the franchise has failed to enter the playoffs. The team, once known for consistency and dominance, is repeatedly looking like one of the weakest sides on paper and on the ground.

The five-time champions needed a big win over GT in their final league game to keep their chances alive but they lost by 89 runs to finish their campaign with three back-to-back defeats.

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As CSK fans mull over what went wrong, here are three things that the team must do ahead of next season to turn around their fortunes in IPL.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

No, this is not about releasing him or even removing him from captaincy. The focus of the franchise should be on their captain’s batting approach. He finished the season with an abysmal strike rate of 123, slower than almost any other specialist batter.

Early in the campaign, Gaikwad struggled with form and then attempted to regain rhythm by consuming deliveries. This approach hurt both his personal numbers and the team’s momentum. CSK cannot afford a repeat. IPL batting has evolved significantly. Even anchors are now expected to maintain a solid strike rate. Gaikwad has previously shown he is capable of batting at a high strike rate, which makes his strangely defensive mindset this season all the more puzzling.

This must change if CSK are to bounce back next season. He should also consider giving up the opening slot to more attacking batters and shift his focus to playing with greater intent, possibly in the middle order.

Injury management

Injuries played a massive role in CSK’s underwhelming campaign. Several key players were unavailable, with Nathan Ellis and MS Dhoni missing the entire season. Others such as Jamie Overton and Ayush Mhatre suffered injuries midway through the tournament, while Dewald Brevis and Spencer Johnson joined late due to fitness issues. More players were also sidelined at various points.

No team can win an IPL title when half of its first-choice players are either missing entirely or only partially available. While one could call it bad luck, this has become a consistent pattern in the CSK camp. India legend and multiple-time IPL winner R Ashwin recently questioned the trend on his YouTube channel.

"I can't understand how there are so many injuries in CSK camp every year," he said, noting that some other teams handle it far better.

While every team deals with injuries, the issue has turned into a recurring headache for CSK. They must improve significantly in this area if they want to compete for a playoff spot.

Team construction

MS Dhoni remains one of the greatest captains the sport has seen, and CSK’s success is the biggest testament to his leadership. His teams often had gaps, yet he consistently brought the best out of his players and delivered titles. However, not everyone is Dhoni. For a relatively inexperienced captain like Gaikwad, the team management needs to provide as much support as possible.

There was a game early in the season where Chennai played two overseas players. Such blunders show that the team management just did not have the faith in the players they bought at the auction.

CSK pivoted towards youth this season, but the squad built at the auction had glaring weaknesses. Letting go of Ravindra Jadeja meant losing both spin bowling depth and lower-order finishing ability, without adequate like-for-like replacements. This left the team short on supporting spinners and power in the death overs, especially with Dhoni injured. As a result, Shivam Dube was forced into an uncomfortable lower-order role and struggled to adapt, ultimately weakening the middle order and disrupting the team combination.

Dhoni had a remarkable ability to paper over such squad construction holes, but not every captain can do the same. As CSK begin planning for the next season, they must be far more careful with their squad balance and team construction.