Why drop Akeal Hosein? CSK fans left fuming as spinner dropped for Matt Short vs GT
Chennai Super Kings left out Akeal Hosein and brought in Matt Short for a must-win game against Gujarat Titans. The call jarred with supporters because Hosein had been one of CSK's more effective bowlers while the playoff equation remained unforgiving.
Akeal was dropped by CSK in the name of team situations (Courtesy: PTI)
The Chennai Super Kings fans were left unhappy as they decided to drop Akeal Hosein for the must-win game against Gujarat Titans and decided to pick Matt Short instead. Hosein has been in fine form for CSK this season, picking eight wickets in seven matches.
IPL 2026, GT vs CSK: Updates | Scorecard
CSK made two changes for the game as they brought back Gurjapneet Singh and Short for Hosein and Prashant Veer. Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the decision was made according to match situations.
"We have got couple of changes according to the situations. Akeal misses out unfortunately for Gurjapneet. Matt Short is in for Prashant Veer," said Ruturaj.
GT vs CSK: Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj.
Impact subs:
Chennai Super Kings: Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Macneil Hadley Noronha, Kuldip Yadav
Gujarat Titans: Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya
WHAT DID THE CSK FANS SAY?
The Chennai fans were left scratching their heads asking how Hosein was removed for Short, who has struggled to make an impact this season.
In the two matches he has played, the all-rounder has scored 36 runs from two matches and is wicketless in the games. He conceded 39 runs in the match against SRH in Hyderabad.
Chennai need a big win to remain in the hunt for a spot in the playoff. A win in Ahmedabad on Thursday won't be enough to help them secure a spot as they will only get to 14 points.
Chennai will need RR, PBKS, KKR to lose their final games to ensure that they make it to the playoffs.
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