Chennai Super Kings' poor start to the IPL 2026 continued with another big loss against Punjab Kings on Friday, April 3. CSK suffered a huge five-wicket defeat despite posting a 209-total while batting first against PBKS at home. After two defeats in their opening two games, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar identified the 'biggest concern' for CSK going into the rest of the season.

The five-time champions finished the 2025 season at the bottom of the points table, and then revamped their squad by trading Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson and by spending big on unproven youngsters. However, their pre-season campaign was hit by injuries to several guaranteed starters, including Nathan Ellis, Dewald Brevis, and the team's backbone, MS Dhoni.

However, Chennai Super Kings' batting was exposed when they were bowled out for 127 against the Royals, and their bowlers then failed to defend 209 against Punjab Kings. CSK's both batting and bowling seem vulnerable at the moment, but Gavaskar feels that the team's biggest concern for the remainder of the season is bowling.

Speaking on Star Sports 'Amul Cricket Live' show on Friday, Sunil Gavaskar highlighted Chennai's struggles with the ball against Punjab.

“From what we’ve seen so far, Chennai’s biggest concern for the rest of the tournament will be their bowling," Gavaskar said. "It means they may have to consistently score around 225–230 to give their bowlers a chance. Most teams now have significant batting depth, like we saw with Punjab Kings where Marcus Stoinis came in at No. 7 and struck the ball cleanly with proper cricketing shots. With many sides batting deep, Chennai will need to get their bowling in order.”

Sunil Gavaskar's study on Chennai's bowling looks reasonable. Khaleel Ahmed, Matt Henry and Anshul Kamboj failed to make any significant impact, while the spin attack of Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar is looking dismantled.

CSK improve with bat against PBKS

After an embarrassing collapse against Rajasthan Royals in the opening game, Chennai Super Kings batters showed improvement against Punjab. Sanju Samson failed to shine in his first home game for the CSK, while Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled to convert a good start into a big innings.

However, youngster Ayush Mhatre stepped up in the No. 3 role by scoring 73 runs. Shivam Dube also scored an unbeaten 45, while Sarfaraz Khan smashed a quickfire 32. New signings Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, who cost INR 14.2 crore each, are yet to make an impact with the bat.

Super Kings fans will be hopeful of Samson-Gaikwad's return to form before it's too late this season. Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni are also expected to boost their batting performance once they return from injury.

Also read: CSK vs PBKS Player Ratings