"Wasting One Slot": CSK Fans Slam Ruturaj Gaikwad For Not Giving Prashant Veer Ball

 CSK Fans Slam Ruturaj Gaikwad [Source: AFP]

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad found himself on the firing line as fans questioned his leadership after all-rounder Prashant Veer didn’t bowl a single over in the recent IPL 2026 game against RCB.

RCB batted first on a batting-friendly pitch at Chinnaswamy. Despite losing Virat Kohli early, Bengaluru rebuilt the innings after three consecutive 50+ partnerships from the middle-order.

Ruturaj Gaikwad lets down CSK fans over Prashant Veer fumble

Interestingly, while Rajat Patidar, Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal were trashing CSK’s bowling lineup, fans on social media had a serious question.

They questioned the role of young all-rounder Prashant Veer. He was bought for a whopping price of INR 14.20 crore during the mini-auction. However, so far, he has not been used as a bowler.

This tactical call left CSK fans baffled as they slammed Gaikwad and team management for messing up routing decisions.

Some fans also suggested that if CSK had no plans of using Veer as an all-rounder, they should’ve trusted Urvil Patel as a specialist option. However, it was too late, as Chennai paid a heavy price for their tactical mishaps against RCB.

Sharon Solomon

@BSharan_6

Did we spend 14C on Prashant Veer just to admire him from the dugout or what? Why's he not getting a single over!?

Aravind

@netcitizen

Prashant Veer selected as specialist No 7/8 batsman...right..

knowhow

@knowhowsay

If Prashant Veer is Jaddus replacement does anybody know why is he not bowling and if he is not going to bowl then why are we not playing Urvil Patel #RCBvsCSK

Anurag™

@Samsoncentral

If Prashant Veer can bowl 4 overs in SMAT, there’s no excuse to not give him even 1 over in IPL.

Mario

@MarioCricketer

There's no point in playing Prashant Veer if he's not bowling. Totally wasting one slot.

Also Read - Watch- Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube Give It Back To Virat Kohli With Wild Celebration In Face

RCB demoralise CSK at Bengaluru

Meanwhile, RCB unleashed carnage against CSK in their home den in Bengaluru, piling up a massive 250/3 in 20 overs.

Virat Kohli and Philip Salt laid the platform, but it was the middle and death overs where things went completely out of control for the bowlers. 

Devdutt Padikkal kept the momentum going with a fluent fifty, setting the stage perfectly. Then came the carnage. Captain Rajat Patidar went berserk with a strike rate over 250, scoring 48 off just 19 balls.

But the real destruction came from Tim David, who turned the final overs into a highlight reel. His unbeaten 70 off just 25 balls at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 280 completely blew the game open, hammering 8 sixes and finishing the innings with ruthless power.

Noor Ahmad and Anushul Kamboj endure tough outings

For CSK, the real disappointment came in Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj. While Ahmad conceded 49 runs, Kamboj went for 52 runs while fetching just a solitary wicket.

Khaleel Ahmed escaped the carnage to a certain extent as he conceded 37 runs in four overs, but he too failed to fetch a wicket.

Jamie Overton was again expensive, conceding 42 runs in 3 overs. Tim David alone hit him for 30 runs in the 19th over. The total of 250 runs will be an uphill battle for CSK, especially considering the fact that they are coming from two back-to-back losses this IPL 2026 season.

Also Read - RCB's Highest IPL Total: Tim David, Rajat Patidar's Carnage Creates History Vs CSK