‘This is not Dhoni’s CSK’: Ashwin’s brutal reality check after disaster campaign

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has delivered a blunt assessment of Chennai Super Kings after their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign came to an end with a crushing 89-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 21. CSK finished the season with six wins, eight defeats and 12 points, a campaign that exposed several weaknesses in the squad. Reflecting on the team’s struggles, Ashwin said the franchise can no longer depend on the methods that brought sustained success during the era led by

MS Dhoni

. According to him, Chennai now need a complete rethink in terms of squad building, balance and overall quality.

“Honestly, I will say this openly, CSK has to invest in quality.

They have to invest in quality cricketers. 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 said on his YouTube channel. The veteran off-spinner stressed that while young players bring excitement and energy, experience remains equally important in a long and demanding IPL season. He believes the ideal combination is a blend of youth and seasoned campaigners.

“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. 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,” he added. Ashwin also raised concerns over whether CSK had assembled a squad suited to conditions at Chepauk, a venue that was once considered their biggest strength.

He pointed out that batting in Chennai requires patience and adaptability rather than constant power-hitting. “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.” Recalling some of CSK’s most successful batters from previous years, Ashwin explained why a more attritional approach is often needed on Chennai surfaces. “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 added.