After maiden win in IPL 2026, CSK bowling coach reveals mindset vs DC, says 'The boys really were desperate...'

Chennai Super Kings secured their maiden win in IPL 2026 against Delhi Capitals by 23 runs on Saturday, April 11 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With this win, CSK put an end to their losing streak in the league.

After the maiden, CSK's bowling coach Eric Simons opened up on the environment of the dressing room after three back-to-back losses in the tournament.

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CSK bowling coach reflects on maiden IPL 2026 victory

In an interaction with reporters, Simons admitted that the players were quite desperate to claim a win after losing three-straight losses in the league. Meanwhile, he also claimed the environment in the dressing room remained balanced despite the early setbacks.

"The boys really were desperate to win this one today. I think we were tired of losing after losing three in a row," said Simons.

"The mood in the changing room tonight is obviously really good, but it never really dropped. I think people looked at the RCB game and thought, oh, we were a long way behind. We didn’t think we were a long way behind," added Simons.

On being asked about if something was missing from the place in the last three games, Eric responded by saying that nothing was going wrong in the approach but admitted that the self-belief was lacking.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I think it’s a lack of self-belief. It’s funny, often fielding is the mood of a team. And Sarfaraz takes a catch like this, it just lifts everybody," said Simons.

He further added that little things like Sarfaraz Khan's outstanding catch can ignite the self-belief back inside the players and the whole tournament could seem a little easier.

"So those little things are important. But I don’t think it was lacking. I just think it was particularly abundant today. So there was a certain attitude about the guys rather than anything else, but no, the self-belief has always been there," concluded Simons.

Chennai Super Kings' power-packed performance vs DC

Batting first, Sanju Samson (115 off 56) and Ayush Mhatre (56 off 39) powered Chennai Super Kings to reach 212/2 against Delhi Capitals. In the second innings, Jamie Overton (4/18) and Anshul Kamboj (3/35) shone with the bowl as DC crumbled to 189/10, losing the game by 23 runs.

Next challenge for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026

After claiming their first win, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will lock horns with Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday, April 14. The game will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It will be interesting to see if CSK can repeat the same attacking mindset against the Kolkata-based franchise.