 "Ruturaj Gaikwad exchanges a handshake with Marcus Stoinis following Punjab Kings' five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in Chennai. Reuters")
Chennai Super Kings continued their poor start to the 2026 Indian Premier League, suffering a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in Chennai on Friday. After their batting department collapsed like a house of cards in their season-opening fixture against Rajasthan Royals, it was the bowling unit that let the five-time IPL champions down as they failed to defend a target of 210 against PBKS at Chepauk.
Gaikwad blames ’execution’ after Fortress Chepauk breached again
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad addressed the issue during the post-match presentation ceremony, admitting that the ‘Yellow Army’ got their execution wrong and have a “lot to improve” when it comes to their bowling unit.
“I feel it was a really good score. Wicket was better for pacers but it was gripping - slower balls were gripping too. With big boundaries, felt it was a really good score,” Gaikwad said during the post-match chat.
“Sometimes, we executed well, sometimes, we did not execute well. The pressure did not build. There was a point when it (required run-rate) went to 11, and a couple of good overs would have taken it to 12-13. We just did not get momentum in the middle.
“Lot of positives. Ayush batted brilliantly. Shivam batted really well. Batting wise, we had good confidence. Bowling wise, lot to improve,” the Mumbai batter added.
After getting bowled out for a lowly 127 against RR in Guwahati, CSK came back strongly with the bat after being invited to bat by PBKS at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in their first home game of the season.
While T20 World Cup hero Sanju Samson (7 off 7) was dismissed early once again, Ayush Mhatre’s blazing knock of 73 off 43 balls along with handy contributions from Shivam Dube (45 not out off 27) and Sarfaraz Khan (32 off 12) ensured CSK went past the 200-mark and posted a formidable 209/5 on the board.
Punjab Kings, however, have been remarkably consistent when it comes to hunting down 200-plus totals and have also dominated their recent head-to-head record against Chennai Super Kings.
Thanks to captain Shreyas Iyer’s 29-ball fifty as well as handy contributions from the top-order, especially Priyansh Arya’s knock of 39 off just 11 balls, Punjab chased the target down with more than an over to spare despite a mid-innings wobble.