IPL 2026: 'Need to tighten things up quickly' - Anil Kumble highlights key concern for struggling CSK

After starting their campaign with a six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home, Royal Challengers Bengaluru extended their winning run by registering their second consecutive win at IPL 2026, beating Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs to move to the top of the points table. In stark contrast, CSK are tottering at the foot of the table with a hat-trick of losses, having lost to Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings before the thrashing at the hands of RCB.

Former India spinner Anil Kumble shared his

thoughts on CSK’s early-season misery, highlighting that the lack of runs from the top-order is a significant area of concern for the team, as neither Ruturaj Gaikwad nor Sanju Samson has hit the straps yet.

“It’s a massive concern for Chennai. If your two most experienced batters, Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad, haven’t fired in the first three matches, it becomes a serious challenge. The rest of the batting line-up, apart from Samson and MS Dhoni, is quite young. You need at least one of your experienced batters to step up and deliver a big innings,” Kumble said on JioStar.

The injury-enforced absence of Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni has not helped the team, while the bowlers have also looked woefully out of touch. CSK could muster only 127 in their season opener against the Royals in Guwahati in an eight-wicket loss.

While they put in a significantly improved batting performance against Punjab Kings in the next encounter, their bowling indiscipline meant that Shreyas Iyer and Co. chased down 210 with eight balls to spare. The bowling woes extended even further against RCB as they conceded 250 runs before falling comfortably short of the target.

The former spinner reckoned that while it is still early days in the tournament, CSK must make amends with their margin of error, as it is consistently declining.

“Unfortunately, in the first three games, things haven’t gone Chennai’s way. It’s still early in the season, but they will need to tighten things up quickly,” he added.

CSK will face Delhi Capitals in their next match on April 11 in Chennai.