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Chennai Super Kings’ journey in IPL 2026 officially came to an end after the side suffered a crushing 89-run defeat against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Meanwhile, with CSK now officially knocked out, the race for the final playoff spot has become even more intense. RR, PBKS, KKR and DC are still battling for the remaining playoff berth in the final few league-stage matches. RR currently hold the advantage with 14 points and only need a win against MI in their final game to secure qualification.

PBKS and KKR remain alive with 13 points each but both sides will be hoping for RR to lose. DC are technically still in the race as well, although their poor net run rate has left them in a very difficult situation heading into the final round of fixtures.

CSK batting unit crumbles badly under pressure during massive run chase

Chasing a massive target of 230 runs in a must-win clash, CSK’s batting lineup had absolutely no answers as the side completely crumbled under pressure.

Sanju Samson departed on the very first ball of the innings after earlier suffering a finger injury while keeping wickets during the first innings.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad started aggressively, something rarely seen from him throughout the tournament, but his quick cameo ended on 16 runs after being dismissed by Mohammed Siraj.

Shivam Dube was the only batter who showed some resistance with a fiery 47-run knock from just 17 deliveries. Apart from him, no CSK batter was able to cross even the 30-run mark as the innings folded for just 140 runs in 13.4 overs.

It turned out to be a horrible batting performance from a champion side like CSK in one of their most important matches of the season.

Clinical bowling display from GT dismantle CSK

GT’s bowling attack looked relentless right from the start, especially Mohammed Siraj, who completely dismantled the CSK batting lineup during the powerplay itself.

The Indian pacer finished with brilliant figures of 3 wickets for 26 runs in just three overs, removing Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel early in the chase.

Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan also picked up three wickets each. While Rabada delivered key breakthroughs in the middle overs, Rashid did the damage towards the end and completely wrapped up the innings.

GT’s bowling performance exposed CSK’s fragile batting order as the pressure of a must-win game became too much for the five-time champions.

Sai Sudharsan led top order power Gujarat Titans to massive total

Earlier in the first innings, GT’s powerful top order once again dominated proceedings with the bat.

Orange Cap holder Sai Sudharsan continued his sensational IPL 2026 campaign with a brilliant 84-run knock from 53 deliveries, smashing seven fours and four sixes.

He was well supported by skipper Shubman Gill, who played a scintillating innings of 64 runs from just 37 balls and ensured GT maintained a rapid scoring rate throughout the innings.

Later, Jos Buttler joined the party with a blistering unbeaten 57 off just 27 deliveries as GT finished with a gigantic total of 229/4 in 20 overs.

There were absolutely no signs of slowing down from the Gujarat batting lineup as they attacked the weak CSK bowling attack throughout the innings.

For CSK, Mukesh Choudhary, Spencer Johnson and Anshul Kamboj managed one wicket each.

Injury concerns and inconsistent performances continue to hurt CSK campaign

For CSK, it turned out to be another night to forget in an extremely disappointing season.

Anshul Kamboj’s economy rate once again became a major talking point as the young pacer conceded 56 runs in his four overs at an economy of 14.

The franchise will now have plenty to think about going into the next season. Injuries throughout the campaign severely affected team balance and combinations and played a major role in their struggles this year.

Although CSK showed some resistance during the middle phase of the tournament after a poor start, they eventually failed to maintain consistency and missed out on the playoffs once again.

For a champion side like CSK, the last three seasons have been extremely disappointing and the franchise will now need some serious corrections heading into the future.

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