Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign got off to a messy start at Barsapara Stadium against Rajasthan Royals as the five times champions lost the match by 8 wickets. What was expected to be a competitive outing quickly turned into a one-sided struggle, especially with the absence of MS Dhoni being clearly felt.
Without their experienced leader, CSK looked unsettled from the beginning. The batting lineup failed to build any momentum and wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Within the powerplay, the team was already in deep trouble at 41 for 4, with the top order unable to handle the pressure. Things only got worse as the innings progressed and by the 12.5-over mark, CSK had collapsed to 82 for 8.
At that stage, even a decent total seemed out of reach and there was a real fear that the team could end up recording their lowest ever score in the IPL history. The poor performance sparked strong reactions from fans online, with many expressing shock at how quickly things fell apart.
Here are some selected reactions:
https://x.com/Xuser8911/status/2038641823091155054
https://x.com/dostoevesque/status/2038641740102656497
https://x.com/Gaurav_HRX/status/2038641730476708083
https://x.com/t_celebs/status/2038592374360965569
https://x.com/Muthuvelpandiy/status/2038664653488705842
https://x.com/Ak12Mr/status/2038645098939023720
https://x.com/Prof_Cheems/status/2038637956207132846
https://x.com/HiteshA95/status/2038641804799795605
However, a late effort from Sarfaraz Khan, Jamie Overton and debutant Kartik Sharma helped the team avoid complete embarrassment. The trio added some much-needed runs, each contributing in double digits when the rest of the batting lineup struggled.
Jamie Overton stood out with a fighting knock of 43 runs, giving CSK something to hold on to. Thanks to this late resistance, the team managed to reach 127 runs by the end of their innings.
While it was far from an ideal start, the brief fightback at least ensured that the Chennai team stayed somewhat competitive after an otherwise disappointing performance.
