IPL 2026, CSK – Stinging loss in Lucknow and a tough road ahead
CSK. PC – BCCI On a given day in Lucknow, Anshul Kamboj’s chances of defeating Mitchell Marsh were in a contest outside of cricket. Truth be told, all those fours and sixes felt like knockout punches from Marsh to not just Kamboj but also Chennai Super Kings’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Now, it may come down to CSK winning both their last two games, alongside improving their net run-rate. So, what went wrong for CSK in the ‘Golden City of the East’? Perhaps we have to zoom in on their bowling effort. On a track that offered enough pace and bounce, the likes of Kamboj and Gurjapneet Singh mostly got the ball to kiss the surface. In such conditions, and against a 6’5″ batter who has played enough of his cricket at the WACA, it was never going to work. When Kamboj tried to pull the length back, he couldn’t get the ball to climb higher on the bat. No wonder Marsh played a volley of pull shots. Meanwhile, Gurjapneet is well over ...