With the Chennai Super Kings still searching for their first victory after the opening trio of matches in the IPL 2026, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is already facing intense scrutiny around his leadership and decision-making. Chennai had pinned plenty of hopes on their skipper to guide the franchise into a fresh chapter, yet the early returns have not lived up to expectations\u2014especially in their recent clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, where a few of Gaikwad\u2019s tactical calls have drawn sharp criticism.<\/p>\n
One of the most discussed aspects was how CSK\u2019s bowlers handled the late-innings phase. During the death overs, the pacers\u2014particularly Anshul Kamboj and Jamie Overton\u2014sent down yorkers that missed their mark, and Tim David along with Rajat Patidar made them pay in a brutal manner. The end result has raised questions about whether the plan was always the right one for that moment.<\/p>\n
Former CSK batter Ambati Rayudu went further, suggesting that the approach itself would never have been accepted during MS Dhoni\u2019s captaincy. Rayudu said that while such angles and tactics might be practised in training, they did not naturally translate into matches because Dhoni did not approve of using that style during the final overs. He also added that batters found it easier to nullify those deliveries in real game situations, arguing that if a batter stays just marginally outside the crease, the effectiveness of the angle drops significantly.<\/p>\n
Rayudu said, \u201cThey\u2019ve tried that in practice sessions over the years, but it never translated into games because MS didn\u2019t approve of using that kind of angle in the death. Even as batters, we found it easy to counter those deliveries\u2014if you stand just half a foot outside the crease, the angle is completely nullified.\u201d He continued by stressing that CSK may need to revisit the idea and lean back towards more traditional execution. In his view, sticking with proven methods\u2014accurate yorkers, well-disguised slower balls, and keeping the plan simple\u2014often works best at the business end of an innings.<\/p>\n
After the match, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming pointed to a different factor for the shift in momentum. While Gaikwad\u2019s calls were under the microscope, Fleming highlighted Tim David\u2019s finishing burst as the key turning point. The coach said the decisive moment came from what David did in the final stretch, describing the acceleration he produced through the last portion of the contest.<\/p>\n
Fleming also acknowledged that CSK started well and created opportunities, but felt they did not secure enough wickets and then lost control during the closing overs. He believed that if the innings had been managed differently, a total in the 210\u2013220 range would have been achievable for Chennai. However, the late collapse shook the side and spilled into their batting early on as well, leaving them off-balance from the outset.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome good things early on, we created some chances. We unfortunately just couldn\u2019t get a couple more wickets for our efforts, and then we hung in, and then unfortunately just lost our shape in the back end. It was a good wicket, and I think if we\u2019d just been able to hold our nerve and execute a bit better, 210, 220 would have been in our grasp. But we just got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of batting as well,\u201d Fleming explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the Chennai Super Kings still searching for their first victory after the opening trio of matches in the IPL 2026, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Ruturaj Gaikwad Under Fire as CSK Struggles","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 update: Ruturaj Gaikwad under scrutiny as CSK winless after early matches\u2014fans question tactics following a tough loss to RCB.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n