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CSK Coach Refuses To Blame Ruturaj Gaikwad [Source: AP]
As CSK hosted SRH at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had a horrible outing at the crease. His strike rate was poor in the first innings, but the Super Kings camp viewed it differently.
Gaikwad won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat first. MS Dhoni, as usual, was unfit for CSK’s last league game at home. While the hosts had a good start, the skipper let the momentum slip.
Stephen Fleming justifies Ruturaj Gaikwad’s horrible performance
CSK bagged 17 runs off the first over from Nitish Reddy. But the scoring rate only dipped from there. After losing Sanju Samson early, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad lost the plot.
He struggled to middle the ball and appeared extremely uncomfortable on the crease. Out of the 21 balls he faced, Gaikwad scored just 15 runs without a single boundary at an atrocious strike rate of 71.43, the second-lowest in an innings of 20 balls faced in IPL 2026 after 70.93 by Arshin Kulkarni vs RCB at Lucknow.
While the home fans were scratching their heads, the CSK camp had a different perspective on this knock. Head coach Stephen Fleming went on to justify Gaikwad’s knock, saying they need someone who can bat through the innings with maturity.
“I know it sounds old school, but we need one guy who bats through the innings. Rutu played a lot of cricket. He knows what's needed. We trust him in that," Fleming said.
He added that CSK have faith in the skipper’s capabilities and that fans should trust him. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad did the exact opposite. Batting at a 71.43 strike rate as an opener in a must-win IPL game cannot be justified, no matter what Fleming’s ideology is.
The skipper’s slow knock hurt CSK as it brought down the scoring rate sharply, thus putting the middle order under pressure.
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How has Ruturaj Gaikwad performed so far?
That being said, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been struggling persistently in the IPL 2026 season. In 13 games, he has scored 321 runs at an average of 29.18. He has scored just two half-centuries at a strike rate of 120.67.
This poor run has hurt CSK, as they lost the first three games in a row in the first half of the tournament. Moreover, despite a late resurgence, their qualification scenario still hangs in the balance.
With 6 wins and as many losses in 12 games, CSK stand in fifth place on the points table. If they lose against SRH, their playoff odds will go down significantly.
Pat Cummins ruins CSK at home
Meanwhile, at Chepauk, CSK began aggressively after choosing to bat first, scoring 31 runs in 2.3 overs before Sanju Samson was dismissed on 27 off 13 balls with five fours and a six.
After the fast start, Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled badly with timing. Even though Urvil Patel hit quick sixes and Kartik Sharma scored 32 off 19, the innings never fully flowed because Ruturaj consumed many deliveries without accelerating.
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On the other hand, SRH’s bowlers adjusted very well after the powerplay. Pat Cummins picked 3 wickets of Samson, Kartik and Ruturaj. Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain controlled the middle overs with slower balls and cutters.
At 17 overs, CSK had 151 runs on the board at the loss of 4 wickets with Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube still fighting at the crease.
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