Ravichandran Ashwin believes Chennai Super Kings must urgently lift the morale inside their dressing room after suffering their third straight defeat of the IPL 2026 season. CSK were handed a heavy 43-run loss by Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table. Speaking on JioHotstar alongside former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, Ashwin said the young squad is “hurting” and needs positivity more than blame.
According to Ashwin, the atmosphere inside the CSK camp is likely deflated after another tough outing. With an inexperienced group, he said, harsh words will not help. Instead, the focus should be on rebuilding confidence and strengthening work ethic. He added that younger players cannot be expected to shoulder accountability beyond their age and should be allowed to enjoy their cricket without being pushed into the legacy expectations associated with CSK.
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CSK’s decision to bowl first backfired as Tim David smashed a blistering 25-ball 70 to power RCB to 250/3. Their batting again failed to click in the chase.
Faf du Plessis, meanwhile, backed Sanju Samson—who had a brilliant T20 World Cup but a poor start to IPL 2026—to find form soon. He said CSK’s top order, including Ruturaj Gaikwad and young talent Ayush Mhatre, has enough quality to turn things around.
On Gaikwad’s leadership, du Plessis said these setbacks will ultimately help him grow as a captain. With MS Dhoni expected to rejoin soon, he believes Gaikwad has strong support and will emerge stronger from this difficult phase.
