Chennai Super Kings' disappointing IPL 2026 campaign came to an end with a crushing 89-run defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Thursday (May 21), a result that confirmed CSK's elimination while sealing a top-two finish for GT. After the Titans posted a daunting 229/4, CSK were blown away for just 140 in 13.4 overs as their troubled season ended on another difficult note.

Speaking after the game, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons said the franchise would still take important lessons from a campaign that featured several young and inexperienced players. "I think each player goes away with something to work on," 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."

Simmons felt the tournament helped CSK understand themselves better as a unit. "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," he said. “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.”

Simmons also pointed to injuries as a major factor in CSK's inconsistent season, especially the loss of Jamie Overton at a key 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."

Explaining the changes CSK made to the batting order against GT, Simmons said the move was based on the home side's pace attack that's been successful at the venue. Matt Short was brought back into the side as the opener with the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Urvil Patel and Kartik Sharma moving one spot below from their usual positions. "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 asked if MS Dhoni would return to play the 2027 season, Simmons reiterated that the veteran would make that call. "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," Simmons explained.

Meanwhile, Titans spinner Rashid Khan said the conditions in Ahmedabad remained consistent across both innings and credited GT's bowlers for adapting quicker than CSK. "I think wicket didn't change," Rashid said. "It's not a day and night match, it's a night game. And the bowling attack we have, especially the fast bowling unit we have, have done a really great job throughout the tournament. On this wicket, if you hit the right area consistently with good pace, there is something for the bowler. I feel like we adjusted ourselves with the condition and the wicket quicker than them and I think that's the reason behind why we won again."

Rashid also stressed the importance of sticking to a plan with the new ball instead of getting defensive as soon as the batter starts to hit. "On such wickets I feel like it's something you have to bring the consistency and keep hitting the right area. You will go for runs but there is reward. I think you can get wickets. Nowadays if someone hits a couple of boundaries straight away you go and have that death bowling in the mind, 'how I'm going to get over this over.' I feel like when you're bowling in the early stage you need to be very aggressive and I think it clearly comes from us that whoever is bowling up the order just go for it and hit the right area consistently. If you do think about at that time to go to the death overs then you're already losing it."