Things are going from bad to worse for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The five-time IPL champions have started their 2026 season with three consecutive defeats, leaving everyone wondering what went wrong with them.
The biggest shock is that Chennai Super Kings’ batting is not going well at all and their bowling attack is also giving away runs and the team looks completely out of rhythm this season. The Men in Yellow once ruled the IPL, but have now been searching for their identity for the past few seasons.
Akeal Hosein’s absence raises big questions as CSK’s performance bottoms out in IPL 2026
Amidst this turmoil, one thing surprised everyone even more and that is the absence of their new West Indies all-rounder Akeal Hosein. Chennai Super Kings did not use Hosein in any of the first three matches, despite him being one of their key picks in the IPL 2026 auction.
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The franchise spent βΉ2 crore to bring in Hosein as a direct replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who was released along with Sam Curran from Rajasthan Royals to bring Sanju Samson into the team.
It was expected that the West Indies star would get Ravindra Jadeja’s place in the Chennai team. Actually, Akil is also a left arm spinner and a useful lower order batsman. He was exactly the type of player that CSK needed to balance their team after parting ways with Jadeja.
Akeal Hosein sidelined with side strain?
Akil can offer left-arm spin in the powerplay, control runs in the middle overs as well and add some depth to the batting, yet he remained on the bench while CSK struggled in the first three matches. This led many to wonder whether it was a tactical call or whether the franchise was hiding something.
Now finally the real reason has come to light. It is being said that Akeal Hosein has a side strain problem since the beginning of the tournament. Injury could be the reason for keeping him out of those games. He is still not match-fit and is likely to miss CSK’s next match against Delhi Capitals.
π¨π£πππ§π : Akeal Hosein is suffering from a side strain and is not fit for the Delhi Capitals clash. [@arattaiSquad]#csk #IPL2026 #IPL #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/ODN8c9KDk3
– Super Kings Center (@superkingcentre) 7 April 2026
“This would never have happened with MS Dhoni” – Ambati Rayudu criticizes Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings’ poor bowling plans faced heavy criticism after their third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026. CSK was defeated by RCB by 43 runs in Bengaluru, due to their death over mistake. They conceded 78 runs in the death overs, including 30 runs from Jamie Overton in the last over. His around-the-wicket angle confounded cricket experts.
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Ambati Rayudu criticized Chennai Super Kings for sticking to the same plan again and again even when they fail. The former CSK star also spoke about how things were handled differently when MS Dhoni was leading the team.
“More than a bad plan, they just stuck to that bad plan. There was no one to interfere, take those 20-30 seconds, slow things down and guide the bowler. They should have just reset a little bit,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rayudu as saying.
He further added, “They’ve tried to do that in practice over the years, but it never translated into matches because MS didn’t approve that angle in the death overs. Even as batsmen, we found it easy to counter β just step half a foot out of the crease, and the angle becomes zero.”
