Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently performing the most precarious tightrope walk in the IPL, and the wire is beginning to fray.
To lead the Chennai Super Kings has never been solely about tactics on a board. More accurately, it is about the stewardship of a shared emotion. For Gaikwad, that responsibility has become a constant struggle to inhabit a pair of shoes so vast they were perhaps never meant to be filled. He is not merely fighting the opposition. He is contending with the lingering presence of Thala, a ghost that renders every bowling change questionable unless it yields a wicket.
advertisement
RCB vs CSK: Scorecard | Highlights
Following a bruising start to the 2026 season, a run of three defeats punctuated by a 43-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gaikwad finds himself caught in a difficult duality. He is the official face of the franchise, yet operates within a shadow that refuses to recede, tasked with defending a legacy that remains unforgiving.
The scrutiny has moved well beyond the polite confines of the pavilion into the harsher, data-driven court of public opinion. Gaikwad’s predicament is unusual. He is fronting a new-age CSK that has seemingly traded its Dad’s Army identity for a Rs 30 crore youth-driven experiment, yet he continues to be judged by the exacting standards of a dynasty built on experience.
It is, in effect, a psychological pincer. On one side sits the silent, injured MS Dhoni, the man who chose him, but whose aura ensures any successor appears temporary. On the other stands Sanju Samson, a T20 World Cup winner, a proven leader in the Indian Premier League, whose arrival has quietly established a ready-made alternative before the season has properly settled. For Gaikwad, the captaincy has shifted from honour to scrutiny, a lens that magnifies hesitation.
This raises a fundamental question. Why burden the franchise’s premier batting asset with the psychological weight of a transition he did not design? In forcing Gaikwad to navigate this moment, CSK risk dulling their sharpest blade. The management now faces a clear choice. Do they grant him time, committing to a plan that currently appears fragile, or do they relieve him of the role to preserve the player, even if it means conceding another failed succession?
THE DNA MUTATION
For over a decade, CSK’s identity rested on the “Dad’s Army” philosophy. Experience, composure and an aversion to panic defined them. After the collapse of the 2025 season, when senior players faltered and late replacements offered little stability, the 2026 auction marked a sharp shift in direction. The franchise pivoted decisively towards youth, investing heavily in uncapped talent such as Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.
Yet this new iteration appears undercooked. Built with the intention of out-batting opponents, the plan has unravelled under early pressure. With Dhoni sidelined and Dewald Brevis unavailable for the opening matches, the batting unit has lacked assurance. Both Gaikwad and Samson have struggled for rhythm at the top, while the young middle order remains untested. The bowling attack, led by an unexpectedly ineffective Matt Henry, has also faltered, compounded by Nathan Ellis’ pre-season withdrawal.
In the absence of both personnel and form, Gaikwad has been left attempting to defend a structure with limited resources. The defeat to RCB laid bare just how thin this new squad currently is.
TACTICALLY LACKING?
However, it would be too convenient to shield the captain entirely. There is a growing sense of tactical inertia, particularly in his handling of spin, historically CSK’s greatest strength.
As a captain, he has noticeably trusted his spinners less. It was evident in the way he dealt with the likes of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja last season.
This year, young Prashant Veer, who was tipped to be Jadeja’s replacement, wasn’t played in the opening game after spending Rs 14.2 crore on him. And he has not got bowling in the last two games.
In the contest against RCB on Sunday, the decision to introduce Noor Ahmed when Rajat Patidar was already set and dominant against spin suggested a lapse in reading the moment.
This fading feel for rhythm, once a defining feature of CSK’s leadership, has also crept into Gaikwad’s public persona.
In post-match interactions, there is a noticeable lack of clarity. At times, Gaikwad appears to be borrowing from Dhoni’s mannerisms without fully owning his voice. Where Dhoni was precise, Gaikwad can drift. His criticism of the bowlers after Punjab Kings chased 210 at Chepauk felt misjudged, particularly given the batting collapse to 121 against Rajasthan days earlier. In attempting to project calm authority, he risks obscuring his own natural instincts.
THE READYMADE PLAN B
The psychological weight of the dugout has been compounded by the presence of Sanju Samson. Traded in amidst a whirlwind of speculation, Samson is the King-in-waiting who insists he isn’t waiting. As a senior batter and a proven captain who led Rajasthan Royals with distinction, Samson is the ready-made Plan B.
Even if Samson harbours no immediate coup-like ambitions, his mere presence in the XI adds a layer of scrutiny to every bowling change Gaikwad makes.
Also, self-belief in captaincy is often a byproduct of runs. Gaikwad, coming off a majestic ODI hundred late last year, has hit a lean patch at the worst possible moment. The pressure of the dry well is clearly bleeding into his decision-making on the field.
A LEGACY AT THE CROSSROADS
We must remember that Gaikwad is a graduate of the 2020 batch, a group famously dismissed by Dhoni for “lacking spark” before Ruturaj proved him spectacularly wrong. He was the chosen one. But as the 2022 experiment with Ravindra Jadeja proved, anointing a successor is not a guarantee of success.
The roots of the current situation lie in an inconsistent recruitment strategy. In 2024, Gaikwad operated with visible support from Dhoni and delivered a respectable campaign. The 2025 auction, however, blurred direction. CSK doubled down on experience, bringing in players such as Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, a decision that prioritised pedigree over form and culminated in a last-place finish.
Only after that failure did the franchise shift course. Late additions of younger players signalled a reactive pivot, which became a full transformation by the 2026 auction. It remains unclear how central Gaikwad was to these decisions. Whether he shaped this transition or is simply managing its consequences is a question that lingers.
This is not a crisis of one individual. It is a team in transition, guided by a management group under pressure. The famed security of the CSK environment appears less certain, even under Stephen Fleming’s stewardship.
Ultimately, CSK stand at a crossroads. They possess a young squad that will inevitably fluctuate, yet they are led by a captain judged against the standards of a near-flawless era. Whether they turn to Samson or persist with Gaikwad will define their season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad still wears the crown, but in Chennai, it carries more questions than certainty.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– Ends
Must Watch
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
