May 27, 2026 15:52 pm IST

Ringside View | Fall Of The Legacy Teams In IPL 2026: What Ails KKR, CSK, And MI?

With a year still left for the mega auction, all three legacy teams have to press the reset button if they want to rise above the mid-table.

Rica Roy Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

The air smelled thick, the atmosphere heavier. It was 37 degrees and 73% humidity outside Chepauk on the 18th of May. It was the last day of the home team's appearance in Chennai this season. All 18 gates had opened just past 4pm. As the crowd started trickling in, Chinamma sat outside gate no. 2 selling gajras of Madurai malli (jasmine) and yellow whistles. No, that wasn't a campaign for a political party, but she said "whistle podu" in hope that the sound of the whistle wakes up a comatose Chennai Super Kings team. The season was done-6 wins from 13 games.

Their 14th one was scheduled on the night of 18th May with Sunrisers Hyderabad, which they lost too and ended 8th in the 2026 IPL.

Vinay Perumal stood in the queue to buy a gajra for his girlfriend. He had bought two Rs 1700 tickets when the ticketing window had opened earlier in the season, hoping Shailaja, who he was getting engaged to on the 19th of May, would get a chance to see her idol MS Dhoni play that game. Vinay and Shailaja are tied by the Super Kings. Their romance began in the stands of Chepauk. They started coming to the stadium in 2022, just after COVID, and were witness to Thala's magic in 2023-the Luke Skywalker of Chennai cricket (once Indian cricket too).

"He exists in our memories now," says Shailaja. And like many, the couple had waited to have a glimpse of Dhoni's........

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