Which team struggled most in the UAE?


IPL 2023 Winner

The team that struggled the most in the UAE during IPL 2020 was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) — and it was one of their worst seasons ever.

🚨 Why CSK Struggled in UAE (IPL 2020):

🧓 1. Aging Core, Sluggish Batting

  • Several key players were past their peak — MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Shane Watson.

  • The strike rates were painfully low. In multiple games, CSK failed to chase modest targets.

❌ 2. Suresh Raina & Harbhajan Singh Pulled Out

  • Raina was their long-time top-order anchor.

  • Harbhajan’s absence weakened their spin attack — crucial on UAE pitches.

🌀 3. Lack of Momentum

  • CSK won the opening match vs MI, but then lost 7 of their next 10 games.

  • They looked tactically flat and mentally off — something fans weren’t used to seeing from Dhoni’s side.

🐢 4. Slow Pitches Didn’t Help Them

  • Their usual spinners didn’t fire consistently.

  • Lack of batting aggression meant they often fell behind in Powerplays and death overs.

📉 Final Outcome:

  • CSK finished 7th in the table — their first time ever missing the playoffs.

  • Only 6 wins in 14 games.

🔦 Bright Spot:

  • Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged late in the season with three back-to-back fifties, showing signs of the revival to come in 2021.

If you’re up for it, I can compare CSK’s UAE stats with other struggling teams like KXIP or RR in 2020.