CSK Urged To Replace Ruturaj Gaikwad With Sanju Samson As Captain: "Six Matches Is A Lot"
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been part of Chennai Super Kings since the 2019 IPL. The first five years saw Gaikwad establish himself as a dependable top order batter.
- CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's scores in 1st six matches of IPL 2026 are: 6, 28, 7, 15, 7 and 19
- "You can see it in his face that he's under immense pressure," said IPL-winning star Subramaniam Badrinath
- "Just to offload that pressure, can CSK replace Ruturaj with Sanju as captain?" he added
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been part of Chennai Super Kings since the 2019 IPL. The first five years saw Gaikwad establish himself as a dependable top order batter. In fact, in 2021, Gaikwad won the Orange Cap for most runs (635) in the season and was also awarded the Emerging Player of the Year. In 2024, Gaikwad was appointed CSK captain. In his first year as skipper, Gaikwad scored 583 runs, while in the second season he played only five matches before being ruled out with an elbow injury. CSK finished last that season. The third season has been the toughest so far for Gaikwad. His scores read: 6, 28, 7, 15, 7 and 19.
With the arrival of a "bigger star", Sanju Samson, as his fellow opener, the pressure on Gaikwad has increased, according to former CSK player Subramaniam Badrinath.
"It is worth pondering if the CSK management will think about removing him as captain and handing the role to Sanju Samson. It's not because he's failing terribly as captain, but the captaincy burden is clearly showing in his batting. You can see it in his face that he's under immense pressure. Just to offload that pressure, can CSK replace Ruturaj with Sanju as captain?" Subramaniam Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
"Ruturaj needs to start firing. Six matches is a lot when you are opening and batting in the powerplay and keep failing. His captaincy was at least decent, though, in the SRH game. He hasn't stepped up at all in run chases."
Badrinath added that CSK is missing MS Dhoni to do the heavy hitting in the final two overs. Dhoni suffered a calf strain just ahead of IPL 2026 and is yet to play a match.
"Irrespective of the physical issues he has, CSK desperately need him in the death overs, with the way they are struggling. Even now, if MS Dhoni is batting in the 18th over, the bowler is under pressure. Lengths and yorkers will miss, and he will play the helicopter shot. His calmness and composure mean that even if 16 are needed off the last over with him batting, the bowler will be under immense pressure," said Badrinath.
Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson