BY SANDHYA DISSANAYAKE, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has offered a candid assessment of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form, acknowledging that the opening batter has fallen short of expectations during a difficult Indian Premier League 2026 campaign.
CSK, now all but eliminated from the playoff race, have endured a challenging season marked by inconsistent batting performances and repeated early losses of wickets in the powerplay. Their latest setback came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where Gaikwad managed just 15 runs off 21 deliveries, failing to find the boundary even once in a subdued innings at the top of the order.
Following the match, Fleming addressed growing scrutiny around his captain’s form and did not shy away from offering an honest evaluation of the situation.
“He hasn’t produced the runs at the pace required”
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Fleming highlighted both the technical and strategic challenges CSK have faced in the powerplay phase this season.
“I’ll start with the powerplay. The key one is wickets, really,” Fleming said. “Ruturaj can do more. He’s done more in the past. He’s been a fine player at the top. He hasn’t produced the quantity of runs at the pace of runs that he’s done in his career, and that’s something he will address.”
The New Zealand coach emphasised that Gaikwad’s dip in output has been particularly noticeable in comparison to previous seasons, where the opener was a consistent and fluent run-scorer at the top of the order.
Powerplay struggles hurting CSK
Fleming also pointed to CSK’s broader issue of losing early wickets, which has repeatedly disrupted their ability to build competitive totals. He suggested that the team’s lack of stability in the first six overs has significantly contributed to their underwhelming campaign.
He further acknowledged that tactical experimentation has been ongoing at the top of the order, including the introduction of Urvil Patel, whose more aggressive, free-flowing style has added a different dimension but not yet delivered consistent results.
“There is a combination aspect to it,” Fleming explained. “But that is something that we’ll ponder over.”
Conditions also a factor, but questions remain
While Fleming admitted that pitch conditions in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad were slow and challenging for stroke play, he made it clear that CSK will need to reflect on their overall approach, particularly in the powerplay.
“I thought today got difficult in terms of the pace of the pitch,” he added, tempering criticism with acknowledgement of external factors.
However, the underlying message remained clear: CSK’s top order must improve if the five-time champions are to return to their dominant standards.
With playoff hopes all but extinguished, attention is now shifting toward rebuilding and reassessing strategies ahead of future seasons — and Gaikwad’s role at the top of the order is likely to remain a key talking point in that process.
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