A lot is expected from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) whenever a new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to begin. And why shouldn’t their fans and cricket fans, in general, expect nothing less than a playoffs finish from the three-time IPL champions.

However, IPL 2020 proved to be an excellent case study in whatever could go wrong for the CSK franchise, went wrong, and in the end, it affected their performance and resulted in the team not qualifying for the final four, for the first time ever in the IPL history.

It started with Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, two of their veterans pulling out of the tournament just days before it commenced owing to personal reasons. This affected the team balance badly and then the whole contingent saw the effects of COVID-19 as 13 members including Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for the virus.

IPL 2020: MS Dhoni hints CSK's "core group" set for change after first league stage exit

This affected the team mentally as their 6-day quarantine was extended to a full 14-day one and issues began creeping up. They did well to win their opening match against defending champions Mumbai Indians, but it was all downhill for them from there.

Wrong selections, backing wrong players, not trusting young stars in the squad, and over-dependence on seniors, along with fitness issues hurt CSK and resulted in them becoming the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs race.

Today, TEAM COC takes a look at five players, whose performance affected the CSK franchise in the worst way possible and who couldn’t raise their game above what the team needed them to do.

Check out the 5 biggest disappointments for CSK in IPL 13