CSK Collapse Labelled ‘Uncontrollable’ As R Ashwin Blames 'THIS' Factor For IPL Howler

Ravichandran Ashwin dissects CSK's loss in IPL 2026 [Source: AFP]

Chennai Super Kings didn’t have the best of their night in their inaugural clash against Rajasthan Royals on March 30, 2026. The IPL 2026 clash saw CSK register one of their lowest all-time totals in the tournament. 

Analysing these aspects of the loss, Ravichandran Ashwin, a former Chennai Super Kings player and now a retired IPL cricketer, pointed out some glaring metrics that scripted CSK's dramatic collapse.

While Chennai Super Kings failed with the bat, the bowlers also couldn't control the damage that Rajasthan Royals openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal did from the very beginning. Discussing all these aspects, Ravichandran Ashwin was quite practical in his approach for the MS Dhoni-less team on Monday night.

The Humiliating Defeat of CSK in the Hands Of RR

Coming in to bat first at Assam at the Barsapara Stadium, Chennai were at a loss for words from the very beginning. Openers Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to make any mark as both of them were dismissed inside three overs, with Ayush Mhatre, the young prospect, also gone for a golden duck by Nandre Burger.

Very soon inside the powerplay, Chennai lost four wickets as they struggled even to reach the 50-run mark. It was only Jamie Overton's late blitz alongside Kartik Sharma and Anshul Kamboj that saved the face of Chennai to post 127 runs against the Royals.

R Ashwin, now a professional commentator in IPL 2026, who made his debut with the RCB vs SRH stint on March 28, shed light with an exclusive take on the game on his social media handle X.

Ravichandran Ashwin Dissects CSK’s Loss

R Ashwin, who is otherwise known to be an analyst, aka ‘scientist’ of the game, delved deep into the factors behind Chennai’s collapse at Assam.

The very first pain point he highlighted was the pitch, pointing out the fact that it remained under covers for too long, gaining enough moisture to give the bowling side a significant advantage. Hence, the early swing from Jofra Archer and the pace attack from the Rajasthan Royals troubled Chennai batters.

Adding to his analysis, Ashwin posted an image of Sanju Samson batting and Nandre Burger bowling a searing 140-plus kph delivery to him, pointing out and analysing the dismissal that hit the timber.

Ashwin 🇮🇳

@ashwinravi99

It wasn’t a great start for CSK last night, but here’s why it was really hard for the batters to take first strike on that pitch. 3 days the pitch remained under covers due to rain, enough moisture to give the first bowling side a significant advantage. This image illustrates

Mar 31, 2026, 5:17 PM

“This image illustrates how much the ball has seamed to defeat Sanju on the outer half of the blade. That much seam movement is not ideal in the T 20 format, and it is very tough to control the uncontrollable. For better understanding, that’s a big spinning delivery coming towards the batter at a speed of 140+,” he added.

The ex-CSK player praised how the pitch assisted Burger’s seam movement to completely bamboozle Sanju Samson. R Ashwin was found stating that it was a ‘spinning’ delivery that came towards the batter at a speed of 140 kph-plus.

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How The Guwahati Pitch Became A Nightmare For Chennai

Ravichandran Ashwin's analysis holds a significant portion of the truth. From the very first ball by Jofra Archer, the kind of movement the deliveries were getting is usually unseen on flat IPL pitches.

Luckily, the movement died down by the second half of the innings when the Rajasthan Royals came in to bat. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old wonderkid, slammed a 17-ball 52 while also recording the third-fastest half-century in IPL, alongside unbeaten Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 36-ball 38 to wrap up the chase quickly.

Riyan Parag stayed at the crease with Jaiswal to see the game through as they finished the chase in 12.1 overs with eight wickets remaining.

Ruturaj Gaikwad Blames Conditions For Worrisome Play

Oppressed CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also acknowledged the same problem pointed out by Ashwin later in the post-match press conference, admitting that the conditions were tough for batting first in that IPL match.

“I felt the conditions at the start were really tough, especially when facing Jofra and Burger. They bowled brilliant lengths and even after that, to a medium-pacer it was slightly tough. You could see even the spinners were getting some assistance as well. 

Yes, we would have been better in batting, we would have taken the game deep, showed some batsmanship, maybe take the game till 150-160. But, nowadays, you never know what’s a good score, so you just have to keep going,” Gaikwad said.

Nevertheless, the lesson will be taken by CSK, as Rajasthan Royals now top the table with a solid net run rate of +4.171. The Kings will be looking to bounce back strongly against Punjab Kings in their second clash of the tournament on April 3 at their home ground, Chepauk.

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