IPL 2026: CSK’s playoff mathematics deteriorated after the loss to LSG, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad told the reason for the defeat.

Tezzbuzz Desk- In IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants have made the playoff race more interesting by defeating Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets with 20 balls to spare. After this defeat, the equations of Chennai team have deteriorated and now the path ahead is considered very difficult for them.

Batting first in this match, CSK scored 187 runs losing 5 wickets in 20 overs. The batsmen performed well for the team, but were not completely successful in scoring a big score. Chasing the target of 188 runs, LSG batted brilliantly and achieved the target by losing 3 wickets in 16.4 overs and made the match one-sided.

With this win, Lucknow Super Giants won two important points, while Chennai Super Kings have suffered a big blow with this defeat. Now CSK will have to win both their remaining matches by a big margin to remain in the race for the playoffs.

Chennai Super Kings is currently placed sixth in the points table with 6 wins and 6 losses in 12 matches. Now the last two matches are very important for the team, which they have to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad (May 18) and Gujarat Titans (May 21).

After the match, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, reacting to the defeat, said that the fast bowlers were getting help on the pitch. He told that while batting, it was becoming difficult to play shots on hard length balls. However, he admitted that the team was aiming for 160–170 runs, but reaching 180 was a positive thing.

Gaikwad further said that the team tried its best in terms of batting, but LSG bowlers bowled with the best plan. He clearly admitted that the credit for this victory goes to the Lucknow team.

After this defeat, every match has now become ‘do or die’ for CSK and the team will have to make a strong comeback to keep the playoff hopes alive.