Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) registered a massive win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Southern Derby of IPL 2026 on Saturday (April 18).
The biggest talking point emerging from the CSK camp is the deeply concerning form of their captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad.
With a string of underwhelming scores so far in the tournament including just 19 against SRH, 7 against KKR, and 15 against DC, the usually elegant opener looks like a shadow of his former self. Against SRH, young sensation Ayush Mhatre got Chennai off to a flying start, practically running away with the Powerplay. The stage was perfectly set for Gaikwad to drop anchor, take his time, and bat himself back into form. Instead, he was dismissed early once again.
Speaking on JioHotstar, former
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin provided a breakdown of the immense psychological toll the captaincy and poor form are taking on Gaikwad.
"It was the best chance for him to score runs. He didn't need to take risks or score at a fast pace because of the way Ayush Mhatre started. They were running away with the Powerplay. It was right there for Ruturaj to take some time, score some runs, and come back into form. After Ayush Mhatre's wicket, Ruturaj got a very good ball, it's not easy to beat him on the pull. I just feel he is under immense pressure, and his mind appears to be a bit cluttered," Ashwin said.
Ashwin's sharp observation hits at the core of Gaikwad's current struggles. When a top-tier batter starts getting beaten on his trademark shots like Gaikwad's pull shot, it is rarely a sudden loss of technique; it is a loss of mental clarity.
The heavy expectations of leading a massive franchise seem to have severely cluttered his thought process. Instead of playing the ball on its merit with his natural timing, the pressure is causing hesitation, leading to poor shot execution and uncharacteristic dismissals. Until he can clear that mental clutter, CSK's top order will remain highly vulnerable.
