Chennai Super Kings’ dramatic bid for a late-season turnaround has ended in heartbreak, with the five-time champions missing out on the playoffs after falling to Sunrisers Hyderabad at the iconic M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on May 18. The defeat effectively pushed CSK into the next IPL season, bringing an end to a campaign that had offered glimpses of a classic comeback—despite the team losing their first three matches.
Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK once again failed to seize a must-win moment that could have propelled them up the points table. The timing was cruel: while Chennai slipped out of contention, Punjab Kings—who have suffered six consecutive defeats—still find themselves in fourth place. CSK’s setback also followed another missed opportunity in their previous outing, where they could not finish the job against bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants.
After winning the toss, Gaikwad chose to bat first against SRH, and the call initially looked promising. Yet once again, CSK struggled to stay at the crease long enough to create stable partnerships, leaving them unable to convert promising phases into a match-defining total. Still, the hosts found some momentum through Dewald Brevis, who led CSK’s scoring with 44, while Kartik Sharma added a quick 32 to help Chennai reach 180 on a surface that appeared to slow things down at Chepauk.
CSK’s bowlers fought hard to keep the chase within reach and attempted to take the game deep in their defence of 180. However, SRH’s response was composed and decisive. Ishan Kishan struck 70, and Heinrich Klaasen provided the finishing punch with 47, as Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched qualification with a five-wicket win and an over to spare—exactly the kind of controlled batting effort CSK lacked on the day.
In the aftermath of the loss and another qualification blow, attention quickly turned to CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Following the defeat, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming pushed the message that Gaikwad must “do more,” pointing to the gap between the skipper’s past impact and his output this season. With heavy reliance placed on opener Sanju Samson for much of the campaign, the young batting unit has often looked dependent rather than consistently assertive.
Fleming made it clear that the coaching staff expects more from Gaikwad’s batting role as well as his leadership. “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 and the pace of runs this season that he’s done in his career. And that’s something that he will address,” Fleming said during the post-match press interaction.
Fleming’s assessment aligns with Gaikwad’s numbers in this IPL. His run tally this season has dropped to 321 at an average of around 30. Just as importantly, his strike rate—previously nearing 150—has slipped to close to 120, a modest return in contemporary T20 terms where explosive openers, such as Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, routinely set the tone early. Gaikwad’s innings of 15 off 21 balls against SRH further highlighted the same challenge: finding rhythm and impact has been difficult for him in this campaign.
It has been one of Gaikwad’s least convincing batting seasons since his breakthrough with CSK in the memorable 2021 edition, when he amassed 635 runs. When he took over the captaincy from CSK icon MS Dhoni ahead of the 2024 season, Gaikwad’s debut year as skipper featured a strong showing of 583 runs while leading from the front—an assertiveness that has been noticeably absent this time around.
Fleming also offered context, stressing that this year represents Gaikwad’s first uninterrupted full season in the CSK environment after he missed most of the previous campaign due to a fractured arm. “This year, at least, he was here the whole time. Last year, he wasn’t here at all. So it would be unfair to judge that. But yeah, there’s been a lot of work done behind the scenes as we learn about this group of players,” Fleming added.
Gaikwad understands the captaincy transition from Dhoni is never without complications, given CSK’s dominance under the former skipper. With this result, it becomes the third straight season CSK have missed out on qualification while Gaikwad has been leading the franchise. Still, for a young captain, maintaining the franchise’s backing is crucial—and CSK have consistently demonstrated that support over the past three years. The focus now shifts to Gaikwad defining his next captaincy phase with a stronger comeback in 2025, alongside a squad that has continued to grow through a difficult campaign alongside him.
