Published on: Apr 6, 2026 5:44 pm IST|Updated on: Apr 6, 2026 5:46 pm IST
Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings have started their Tata IPL 2026 campaign on a sorry note with three losses on the bounce. After a demeaning loss to their arch-rivals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 43 runs last night at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the team is languishing right at the bottom and has its campaign stuttering in the middle of the second week.
With key players like MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis yet to feature due to injuries, CSK has failed to settle on their perfect eleven. Among all the fuss CSK is going through right now, head coach Stephen Fleming has provided a massive update regarding Proteas star batter Dewald Brevis’ injury.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has provided a crucial injury update on young star batter Dewald Brevis, confirming that the South African is close to full fitness and could feature in CSK’s next IPL 2026 fixture against Delhi Capitals on April 11.
Brevis, who has been sidelined with a side strain, missed the opening three matches of the season. His absence has been felt in CSK’s middle order, with the team struggling to find momentum and currently languishing at the bottom of the table after three consecutive defeats.
Speaking after CSK’s defeat to RCB, Fleming said the franchise has been cautious with Brevis’ recovery but is optimistic about his availability.
“We hope he is going to be right for the next game. We have five days between the next game. We have been conservative, and hopefully, these next five days go as well as we have planned, and he is ready to go. It’s a big loss, but we are looking forward to getting him back,” Fleming stated.
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Along with Dewald Brevis, CSK’s veteran MS Dhoni has also not featured in any of the games for the side this season. However, the veteran is on the road to recovery as he is set to give a key fitness test ahead of CSK’s next match against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday. If he passes the test, MS Dhoni will feature in that game; otherwise, he will need more recovery time.
The Super Kings entered IPL 2026 with a goal to bounce back after their debacle in the last season. For the first time in history, one of the most decorated IPL teams finished right at the bottom of the points table in the last season. They were supposed to remove that stain from the last season, but it seems like their bad time is far from gone. After finishing at the bottom in the previous edition, the Super Kings have kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a hat trick of losses and are currently languishing at the bottom.
Be it home or away, CSK has failed to make an impact so far this season. They started off their campaign with a loss to the inaugural champions, the Rajasthan Royals, in Guwahati by 8 wickets. It was a complete demolition from RR as they first bundled out CSK for a mere 127 and chased down the score in 12.1 overs with as many as 8 wickets to spare.
In a hope to redeem themselves, CSK entered their home ground, i.e., the MA Chidambaram Stadium, to host Punjab Kings. It was a good game until the first innings for the hosts, as they posted a mammoth 209 on the board for the loss of 5 wickets. However, the Punjab Kings batters were in the mood to toy with the CSK bowling unit, and they did the same. Punjab chased down the score with 5 wickets in hand and as many as 8 balls to spare.
Last night was a disastrous one for the Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. They were up against the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who annihilated them at will. Put into bat first, RCB posted a mammoth 250 on the board for the loss of 3 wickets, their highest ever score against CSK. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side faltered in the chase, bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs. The result handed CSK their third straight loss to RCB, putting them firmly under the pump going into the next matches.
Tags: IPL 2026