Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted that his side had no clear idea how the Chepauk surface would behave during their day match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday. After being put in to bat, CSK slumped to 26 for 3 in the fifth over and eventually managed 158 for 7, before going down by eight wickets.
Quick facts
- CSK were reduced to 26 for 3 in the fifth over after being sent in.
- Chennai finished on 158 for 7.
- GT chased successfully and won by eight wickets.
- Gaikwad scored 74 off 60 balls.
- This was CSK’s fifth defeat in eight games.
- CSK sit sixth on the points table for now.
- Next match: CSK host Mumbai Indians on May 2 after a five-day gap.
Gaikwad said it was simply too late for CSK to fully adjust once the conditions revealed themselves. He pointed out that in their recent home fixtures they had gained a clearer sense of how the wicket tended to play, but this particular match was different.
“Last three games we played here, I think we kind of got to know how it will play or we were in a situation where we felt, okay, 60% is going to play like this, 70% is going to play like this,” Gaikwad said. “But this game, we didn’t have any idea about how it will play, and by the time we wanted to adapt and change, we were, I think, too late. And then after that we tried, but it just didn’t come off.”
CSK’s recent home record in IPL 2026 adds context to the setback. So far, they have batted first in every game at home this season, and on the previous three occasions they posted 209, 212 and 192 after opting to bat. While the first of those totals didn’t hold—Punjab Kings chased it down—CSK successfully defended the other two.
Pitch report and Gaikwad’s struggles
Describing the wicket, Gaikwad said the medium-pace deliveries tended to grip slightly and the ball behaved “two-paced.” He also noted that the bounce looked inconsistent, rising and dropping unpredictably, which made timing and shot selection difficult.
“For the medium pacers, it was holding a bit, [and] it was two-paced,” Gaikwad said. “Even the bounce was a bit up and down. But I felt if not [for] too many wickets up front, we would have still got to maybe 170 or 180; that would have been still competitive. But I really doubt that. Even after the powerplay, they just still kept coming, and it was a bit difficult to play some shots.”
At the crease, Gaikwad tried to carry the innings while the rest of CSK’s batting struggled around him. After the start came from Sanju Samson, Gaikwad watched all seven dismissals tumble from the other end as he stayed in for a measured 74 off 60 balls.
CSK’s powerplay read 28 for 3, and in reply GT set a dominant tone early. They raced to 55 for 0 before completing the chase in comfortable fashion, leaving CSK unable to recover despite Gaikwad’s effort.
Gaikwad also underlined how hard it was to settle on the right rhythm because the pitch offered little consistency. He said he found it difficult to get going, and even when he attempted to accelerate, the ball arrived at a pace and manner that disrupted his plans.
“Well, at the first time-out [when CSK were 37 for 4], when Flem [Stephen Fleming, head coach] came out, I spoke to him that I’m trying to be positive, I’m trying to be aggressive,” Gaikwad said. “But sometimes [when] I’m waiting for a full-pace delivery, the ball is popping up a bit, and sometimes I’m waiting for slow balls or the ball to come at a pace which the last delivery came [at], but it just came off a bit too quick or [with] a bit more bounce or a bit less bounce.
“So I told him I’m trying to change [my approach] as much as possible, but it’s just not happening right at the moment, it was really difficult to change every ball whether what would happen. So it was just about judging or expecting that it’ll come good, it’ll come good, but it just didn’t come good.”
The defeat to GT was CSK’s fifth loss in eight matches, pushing them to sixth in the current points standings. They now have a five-day window before returning to action at home against Mumbai Indians on May 2.
