Chennai Super Kings’ biggest concern as IPL 2026 enters its final phase is, bluntly, the middle-order batting — and specifically the question of whether the Ruturaj Gaikwad-Devon Conway opening partnership can be trusted to set platforms on which the rest of the team can build.
Both players are talented. Both have been inconsistent in ways that have hurt CSK. The problem isn’t individual games where they fail — that happens to every opener in T20 cricket. The problem is the pattern: they are failing simultaneously with enough regularity to suggest a structural issue rather than a run of bad luck.
The Numbers
CSK’s opening wicket partnership average this season is significantly below where it needs to be for the team to consistently post competitive totals. When either Gaikwad or Conway falls cheaply, CSK needs someone in the 3-4 position to take up the scoring burden immediately. In this CSK squad, that responsibility falls on Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube — competent cricketers, not explosive ones.
What MS Dhoni Can and Can’t Do
Dhoni at 43 remains a smart cricketer. His wicketkeeping is reliable, his reading of the game is excellent, and in specific situations — 15 runs off the last 8 balls, 6 needed off the last over — he is still dangerous. What he is no longer is the 50-over anchor who can rebuild a collapsed innings over 40 balls. The CSK squad needs to win the game before he comes in, or at least be in a manageable position when he does.
Is the Season Salvageable?
CSK has won tournaments from difficult positions before. The difference is that previously those comeback campaigns had Dhoni in a position to bat longer. The squad needs the openers to fire. Whether they do in the remaining games will determine whether this season is a disappointment or a disaster.
