Former Indian batsman Subramaniam Badrinath criticized Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for his disgusting performance in this edition of the IPL. He has also been cornered on many occasions for his clueless captaincy.

Chennai Super Kings’ dismal form in the IPL continued despite the management revamping the entire team. They won again, but lost form again with recent defeats. They currently sit seventh in the points table having won just three matches this season.

One of the biggest concerns for them has been that Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain and one of their most experienced players, is not fit. The bowlers also got off to a poor start but have slowly been getting into promising form in the last few matches; However, the chances of Gaikwad returning seem very slim.

“Ruturaj hasn’t done anything impactful this season.” – Subramaniam Badrinath criticized captain Ruturaj Gaikwad

Former Indian cricketer and CSK star Subramaniam Badrinath criticized CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for his poor form, and his woeful batting has been a major concern. The right-hander reached his first half-century in the last game, but his innings was of no use to the team.

Gaikwad amassed 74 runs and batted till the last ball, but the concern was that he had faced 60 balls alone. Badrinath highlighted that he scored those runs at a very slow pace, while others scored 50s and 100s off just 15 to 30 balls.

“Ruturaj hasn’t done anything impressive this season. He hasn’t given a single winning performance. How long can the wait be for him to rediscover form? It’s been eight matches and the season is almost over,” Badrinath said about Gaikwad’s batting display.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in bad form. Even this innings was plodding. Boys elsewhere are scoring 50s and 100s off 15 and 30 balls. But Ruturaj is batting unintentionally,” he added.

EX-CSK star claims failed initial partnership has been biggest problem for CSK

Former CSK star Subramaniam Badrinath believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad’s poor form has hurt CSK’s opening partnership, which has been one of the key attributes of their success in the last few seasons. Although during those times, they had a different combination of players at the top.

“It is important to see how the openers perform as a pair and not just individually. 30 has been the highest opening partnership for CSK this season. You can’t blame the wicket when the opposition won in 16 overs on the same wicket.

“The initial partnership has been a big disappointment and Ruturaj’s form needs to be seriously questioned. Samson has still done his bit with two centuries,” Badrinath said (via the aforementioned source).

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s poor performance in IPL 2026

CSK’s veteran opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled to maintain his form in this edition of the IPL. Having played every match this season and leading alone without the shadow of MS Dhoni guiding him.

In the first seven matches, he accumulated 6, 28, 7, 15, 7, 19 and 22 runs against rivals like Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

Even after his unbeaten 74 in the last match against the Gujarat Titans, Gaikwad has averaged just 26 this season, while he has also scored a strike rate of 121 this season.

ALSO READ: Lungi Ngidi RULED OUT from IPL 2026 vs RCB match