“Seven is too low a number for him”

Former India seamer Zaheer Khan criticised the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management for sending Shivam Dube lower down the order during their IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans (GT). The match was played on Thursday, May 21 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Chasing 230, the visitors fell well short, getting bowled out for 140 in 13.4 overs, losing by 89 runs and crashing out of playoff contention. Meanwhile, Dube, who batted at No. 7, top-scored with 47 off 17 balls, hitting four fours and as many sixes.

Speaking during a discussion on Cricbuzz, Zaheer noted that No. 7 is too low for the left-hander and suggested that CSK could consider batting Dube higher up the order in the next season, saying:

“Maybe having Shivam Dube bat up the order is something they can think of. You know seven is too low a number for him.”

The 47-year-old further stated that CSK need to strengthen their bowling attack and added that the team is searching for Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement, while noting that Akeal Hosein showed some promise, taking eight wickets in seven innings, and said:

“They need to strengthen their bowling for sure and Jadeja’s replacement is something they’re searching for, who is going to make that consistent impact with the ball and the bat. Akeal Hosein showed some signs of it, so how they develop is something which CSK will be closely monitoring. But on the whole, it has been a decent season for them.”

Zaheer also opined that CSK will be happy with the fight they showed, as the side dealt with several injury setbacks, with Ruturaj Gaikwad also falling with the bat, noting that the franchise itself knew that qualifying for the playoffs would have been a miraculous effort. Zaheer said:

“They put up a fight right throughout the season and that’s what they’ll be happy with. A few injuries have not helped them. Mhatre also got injured with Ruturaj’s form, we’ve been talking about but they’ve not been able to put performances together consistently. I think they also somewhere knew that if they qualify for the playoffs it will be a miraculous kind of effort.”

CSK ended their season with six wins, collecting 12 points from 14 games.

“The thing is that he’s not played enough” – Murali Kartik questions CSK over pacer’s limited game time

In the same discussion, Murali Kartik said Gurjanpreet Singh impressed him with the way he bowled but felt that CSK did not give him enough opportunities. The left-arm seamer played eight games and took four wickets at an average of 58.25, with a strike rate of 37.7 and an economy rate of 9.25. He said:

“I think I’ve been very impressed with the way he’s bowled. And the thing is that he’s not played enough. He bowls well and then next, where is Gurjanpreet Singh?”

Kartik further stated that CSK will be hoping Prashant Veer flourishes from here on, after a debut season in which he made 90 runs in five innings following a ₹14.20 crore acquisition. He also asserted that CSK need to find an Indian spinner due to their heavy reliance on Noor Ahmad, saying:

“I think they need to find Prashant Veer if he can move on and flourish from here on. I think if he can pick up his game because they’ve invested heavily in him, they need to find an Indian spinner. There’s a lot of overdependency on Noor Ahmad. So this is where you need to find an Indian option because you’re playing in India. It’s the Indian Premier League and if you can’t find an Indian spinner of note, then it can hurt your balance and I think from that point of view, you want a couple of good Indian spinners.”

Noor picked up 13 wickets in 14 games at an average of 32.92, with a strike rate of 23.5 and an economy rate of 8.39.