CSK finished the season with 6 wins and 8 defeats, missing out on the playoffs for third consecutive year.
The harsh assessment followed a disappointing end to their campaign on Thursday (May 21), when Gujarat Titans (GT) handed them an 89-run thrashing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
CSK finished the season with 6 wins and 8 defeats, missing out on the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
“Honestly, I will say this openly, CSK has to invest in quality. They have to invest in quality cricketers. I mean, make a quality team. With experience. Bowling experience. Variety in fast bowlers. Variety in spinners. A team has to be formed in a good way,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin stressed that a successful team requires a blend of youthful exuberance and seasoned campaigners.
“Young talent, exuberance of youth, as Ravi (Shastri) bhai says, it excites. But along with that, if there is experience in your team, that is a lethal combination. This is not Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. Not at all. That time has changed. And you have to keep in mind that success will come. But it will come slowly,” he added.
Ashwin also raised concerns about CSK's squad construction for their home ground in Chennai, noting that the pitch requires patience and adaptability rather than constant power-hitting.
“Actually, honestly speaking, Shivam Dube’s batting was very positive for Chennai,” Ashwin stated. “But I have an observation. I think the squad that is picked to play in their home game, in Chepauk, I think it is not suiting them.”
He pointed to legends like Subramaniam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, and Michael Hussey as the gold standard for thriving in these conditions.
“Whenever I think of Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey — players like them — I feel that to bat in Chepauk’s conditions, you have to do a little attritional batting. You don’t have a wicket to hit through the line like this,” he remarked.