Chennai Super KingsThe poor start to IPL 2026 continued with a heavy defeat by Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the former star Ravichandran Ashwin He didn’t hold back, reflecting on the team’s struggles and his own difficult final season. CSK suffered their third straight defeat after being bowled out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB piled up a massive 250/3, leading to an explosive knock. Tim David (70* of 25) Rajat Patidar (48 off 19*) and Devdutt Padikal (50 off 29). In reply, despite resistance, CSK never quite recovered from the early setback. Sarfraz Khan And Prashant Vir, eventually bowled out for 207. As the defeat exposed deeper problems within the party, Ashwin Reflecting on his decision to walk away from the IPL, he admitted that he could have continued but fell asleep mentally after a disappointing campaign. “Any suggestions for sad songs? I’m looking at the match from an unbiased point of view, but remember I had a disappointing season with CSK recently, it was a disappointing season for me personally. Honestly, in my mind, I could have played more, because emotionally, I didn’t have the bandwidth to play,” Ashwin said on his YouTube. When asked to revisit the phase, Ashwin made it clear that it was a sensitive subject for him. “I don’t want to go there, it’s mentally disturbing. It was very painful for me, I don’t want to go there. I had a little chat, then I said, I started from Chennai, I’m finishing in my hometown, that’s fine. I decided to retire myself because it didn’t create any headache for them (the management) to retain me or release me, I save Rs 10 crore. There were hopes, I had hope,” he added. Despite predicting an RCB win, Ashwin admitted that he expects a strong performance from CSK, especially after showing signs of improvement in their previous outing. “I had expectations from today. I know, I picked RCB to win, because they have the strength. But, I trusted the improvement that CSK showed in the last match. I had a bit of trust in the fact that RCB is coming into this match after a break. The way RCB played, it gave everyone a warning,” he said. CSK’s current approach has also come under scrutiny, particularly their shift towards a young squad. Ashwin questioned how effectively these players are being nurtured in a high-pressure environment. “These young guys, you’ve got to give them good practice, you’ve got to sharpen them, you’ve got to give them the environment out here. How are you going to do that?” he commented. The veteran spinner also criticized some of the tactics, especially how the bowlers are being used. He pointed out that some players are being asked to execute skills that do not suit their strengths. “You can see SA20 to plan. Jamie Overton A yorker is not good at bowling. You are forcing him to do this. You have to play to the bowler’s strengths. You are bowling him wide yorkers from around the stumps. Tim David broke them down hard,” he said. With results going against them and questions mounting over both strategy and execution, CSK now face an early season challenge to regroup and regroup before the campaign gets further away.
