Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Ruturaj Gaikwad is under increasing pressure this IPL 2026 season. Not only has the team struggled to get past the bottom half of the points table, but his personal batting form has also been underwhelming: 178 runs in eight innings at 25.43, with a strike rate of only 121.09.
Former CSK player S Badrinath was fuming after the team lost to the Gujarat Titans by eight wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Gaikwad scored his first half-century of the season, a 74* off 60 balls, but it was a typically net-negative innings, where he started slowly, didn’t make use of the powerplay, and left the aggression too late. But, notably, no other CSK batter scored even 25.
While the head coach Stephen Felming defended
Gaikwad by saying the pitch was quite difficult to bat on in the first innings, it didn’t assuage the feelings among the fanbase.
“Ruturaj has done nothing impactful at all this season,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel. “He hasn’t given even one match-winning performance. How long can the wait be for him to rediscover form? It’s been eight matches, and the season is almost finished. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in poor form. Even this innings was laboured. Guys elsewhere are scoring 50s and 100s of 15 and 30 balls. But Ruturaj is batting with no intent,” he added.
Badrinath sounded more concerned over the contributions of the Gaikwad-Sanju Samson pair, saying even though the latter has done well, the opening stand is just not working.
“It’s important to see how openers perform as a pair and not just individuals. 30 has been the highest opening partnership for CSK this season. The wicket can’t be blamed when the opposition won in 16 overs on the same wicket. The opening partnership has been a big letdown, and Ruturaj’s form has to be seriously questioned. Samson has still done his bit with two centuries,” said Badrinath.
An option often talked about with CSK is pulling Gaikwad down to number three, but the franchise didn’t consider it even while having a regular opener available in Ayush Mhatre. Its hard to see them go with it now.
