Irfan Pathan names ‘biggest problem’ for CSK in IPL 2026

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The Indian Premier League 2026 season has already thrown up surprises, with several big teams struggling to find early momentum. Among them, Chennai Super Kings have looked slightly out of sync despite their experienced core. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has now pointed out a major concern in CSK’s campaign, identifying a key weakness that could derail their season if not addressed quickly.

Pathan believes that the biggest issue for CSK at the moment is the poor form of Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad. The young left-arm wrist spinner, who was expected to lead the team’s spin attack, has struggled to deliver in IPL 2026.

In three matches so far, Noor is yet to pick up a single wicket and has conceded runs at a worrying economy rate of 11.10. His most recent outing came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he leaked 49 runs in his four overs without making any impact.

Pathan highlighted that Noor has bowled around 10 overs this season and conceded over 100 runs without success, calling it a major setback for a team that relies heavily on spin control in the middle overs. He termed Noor’s lack of wickets and high economy rate as CSK’s “biggest problem” in the tournament so far.

“He (Noor) is CSK’s biggest problem right now. He has bowled around 10 overs this season and conceded over 100 runs. He does not have a single wicktet,” said Pathan on his YouTube channel.

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Pathan explained that Noor’s current angle of approach is affecting his body alignment and, consequently, his release. He noted that the spinner’s bowling arm appears to be falling away, reducing both control and effectiveness.

The solution, as suggested by Pathan, is relatively straightforward: correcting the run-up angle. A better alignment, he believes, would help Noor deliver the ball more upright, improving accuracy and giving him a better chance to pick wickets.

Given Noor’s impressive track record, including a stellar IPL 2025 season where he picked up 24 wickets and finished as one of the top performers, there is still confidence that he can turn things around quickly.

“I believe that if he corrects the angle of his run-up, the alignment will improve, and his hand, which has been falling on one side, will become straighter as well,” added Pathan.

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