Chennai Super Kings’ poor IPL 2026 campaign came to an end with a crushing 89-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Thursday (May 21). After GT posted a daunting 229/4, CSK were bowled out for just 140 in 13.4 overs as well.

Speaking after the game, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons said, “As a bowling coach, I put reports together for each guy to go for the next nine months to come back an improved player, like we saw Anshul (Kamboj) come back from last season. We know ourselves a lot better as a unit and we also know a lot of the individuals better, as to what they can and can’t do.”

“Someone like Kartik has come along magnificently this season. We know what he’s about. Obviously the established players, we’ve always known who they were and what they are. But I do know that we’ve come away from this tournament understanding ourselves as a unit better and that stands us in good stead. I think that’s an important learning for Stephen (Fleming) as the head coach to know the balance of the side and how that looks. When we play well, we’re a really good unit. So I think we go away with a lot of understanding of ourselves as a unit and how we need to play and how we have to play,” he further added.

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However, Simmons also pointed to injuries as a major factor in CSK’s poor season, especially the loss of Jamie Overton at an important stage of the tournament.

“Just as we were getting some momentum, we lose someone like Jamie Overton, who’s such a balancing factor in our team,” Simmons said. “So important to our bowling attack through the middle, so we don’t have to make crazy changes. And then he can also bat at the back end of the innings.”

“We looked at what GT have done on this ground, what lengths they’ve bowled and where they’ve bowled,” he said. “We met Short (Matt) as a particularly good player of short bowling. So we thought we’d counter it with someone like him at the top of the order. And I thought he batted really well. They bowled very well throughout the innings, throughout the tournament they’ve bowled well in their conditions. So that was the reason for the tinker at the top of the order just to get the balance right.”

When he was asked if MS Dhoni would return to play the 2027 season, Eric Simmons said, “He has hit the ball so well. He obviously had a leg injury which made it very difficult for him to run. But only MS will know and MS will make the decision about when he’s ready and when he’s right. If he knows he’s not, he won’t play. But if he is right, he will. He’ll make the decision in the best interest of the team.”