'It's a hard miss for us': Ruturaj Gaikwad on whether MS Dhoni will return for CSK in IPL 2027

Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2026 campaign comes to a painful end as they suffered a colossal 89-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. It is CSK's biggest ever loss in terms of run margin. Batting first, GT posted a monumental total of 229/3 in 20 overs. Top-order batters Sai Sudharsan (84 off 53), Shubman Gill (64 off 37), and Jos Buttler (57* off 27) fired with the bat to help the team amass an enormous score. It was a must-win game for CSK to remain alive in the playoff race, but their batting surrendered on the big day as they bundled out at 140 in 13.4 overs. Apart from Shivam Dube, who tried to enforce a comeback by hammering 47 in 17 balls, no batter stood out for the team. Credit to Mohammed Siraj, who won the player of the match award, Kagiso Rabada, and Rashid Khan, for picking up three wickets apiece.

It will certainly go down as a forgettable season for Chennai, as they struggled in every department. Besides that, their talisman, their think tank, MS Dhoni, did not feature even in a single game. The uncertainty over Dhoni remains large as it is not clear whether he will come back next season or not.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad addressed the same following the culmination of the game and stated that Dhoni's status will become clear next year. He admitted that the team missed the services of Dhoni, as he, with his power display, could have made the difference for the side.

"You and I'll get to know it next year. It's a hard miss for us. He can come in those late overs and change the game just by staying in the crease. Never know about next season, but really happy with the guys we have," Gaikwad said after the match.

Chennai Super Kings finished the season with 12 points, having secured 6 victories.

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