'It was painful to watch' - CSK legend reacts after Ruturaj Gaikwad's men lose back-to-back matches in IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finished at the bottom of the table last season. In IPL 2026, they would have hoped for a solid start, especially after making some key changes to the side. However, that hasn't been the case as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Co. have lost two games in a row.

On Friday, they were outplayed by the Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ayush Mhatre's half-century and enterprising knocks from Shivam Dube and Sarfaraz Khan helped the Men in Yellow post a competitive total of 209/5. However, Shreyas Iyer's men reached the target with five wickets and eight balls to spare. Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, and Shreyas were the start performers for Punjab with the bat.

CSK legend Ravichandran Ashwin didn't blame any particular player from Gaikwad's side but admitted it was 'painful to watch' his former team losing. He mentioned that the morale of the players, especially the inexperienced ones, had been shattered by the 15th over of the second innings.

“No offence — I don’t blame any player. But from the outside, it’s hard to watch at times. You know what kind of team this used to be once? Watching the match today from the stadium, from the commentary box, for the first time with a straight view — I felt it," Ashwin was quoted as saying by India TV.

"People can say whatever they want, I don’t care. You can judge me, abuse however you like, it doesn’t matter. For me, Chennai is a matter of pride. Think whatever you want, it doesn’t bother me. But when I watched this team today, by the 15th over, everyone’s shoulders had dropped. It was painful to watch. Really painful. With inexperienced players, you can see it in their body language — the atmosphere becomes clear. It was genuinely disappointing,” he added.

I still believe this team can make the top four: Ashwin

Ashwin backed Chennai Super Kings to still make it to the playoffs, but he highlighted the importance of having the iconic MS Dhoni in and around the team. The wicketkeeper-batter is recovering from a calf strain, which forced him to skip CSK's first two games in IPL 2026.

"Bring that culture back. I still believe this team can make the top four. I’m confident — they just need to get things right. One small regret today — MS Dhoni wasn’t at the ground. If he was there, players like these would benefit. His presence in the dressing room changes the vibe completely," Ashwin said.