Chennai Super Kings suffered from several injuries and players struggling for form as they failed to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs, a disappointing end to the season for arguably the most successful team in the competition’s history.
Part of CSK’s struggle was a lack of runs, particularly impactful runs, from their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who opened the batting and struck 337 runs, but at a lowly strike-rate of 123.44. For frontline batters in the tournament, this was the lowest, and highlighted CSK’s issues with matching the firepower across the league.
Although it was a hard-fought season with 12 points from six wins, there have been some calls that have earned them criticism – Gaikwad has been the target for much of this, with former CSK star Subramaniam Badrinath even arguing that he should consider handing over the reins of captaincy to his opening partner, Sanju Samson.
“I think Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK,” Badrinath said while speaking on his YouTube channel. “I think Sanju Samson should lead them. I will give one valid reason – I want Ruturaj Gaikwad the barsman. I have a lot of respect for Gaikwad the batsman… he earned his place in the Indian team and for CSK.”
“CSK need him as a batsman more than as a captain, because anyway, Sanju Samson is a better captain than him,” he argued further. Gaikwad scored 580+ runs in three of the four seasons between 2021 and 2024, with CSK winning in two of those campaigns, while Gaikwad himself earned the Orange Cap with 635 runs in IPL 2021.
Even Sachin struggled with captaincy burden
While he has had a couple of quieter seasons, Badrinath believed it was the result of additional captaincy pressure affecting the way he plays, citing how players like Sachin Tendulkar suffered from that, while even Virat Kohli has evolved his game supremely well since letting go of control at RCB.
“If you take that captaincy crown from his head, he will perform as a batter… This shouldn’t be seen as a harsh decision, it’s beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good.”
“Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy… you need that detachment from the batting. Not everyone can have the clarity to compartmentalize between the roles,” he concluded.
Gaikwad hasn’t had the best run of it as CSK’s leaders, trying to step into the shoes of MS Dhoni. Samson, meanwhile, did lead Rajasthan for a considerable amount of time before this trade to CSK, and has shown an ability to balance the two parts of the game, while also being a clutch performer for CSK in his first season.
CSK may or may not pull the trigger after placing faith in Gaikwad this year, but there is no doubt that the leadership responsibility is weighing on him, and there needs to be some sort of change sparked.
