Winless through their opening trio of games, Chennai Super Kings face heat as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad draws sharp scrutiny at the start of IPL 2026. Though picked to steer the team forward, his runs with the bat – and decisions on the field – haven’t met expectations so far. During Sunday’s match versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru, some choices he made sparked strong debate among fans and experts alike. One such move involved holding back a key bowler during a crucial phase – a tactic former player Ambati Rayudu claimed MS Dhoni would never have backed. While leadership shifts bring growing pains, right now the pressure sits firmly on Ruturaj’s shoulders.
Out wide came the yorkers, fired by CSK’s quicks – Anshul Kamboj and Jamie Overton – aimed at RCB hitters like Tim David and Rajat Patidar late in the innings, only to get smashed. That kind of line hardly worked before, Rayudu pointed out, especially on Dhoni’s watch.
“They’ve tried that in practice sessions over the years, but it never translated into games because MS didn’t approve of using that kind of angle in the death. Even as batters, we found it easy to counter those deliveries – if you stand just half a foot outside the crease, the angle is completely nullified,” Rayudu said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo.
“I think that’s an area they need to review. Sometimes, it’s better to stick to conventional strategies: good yorkers, well-pitched slower balls, keep it simple and basic,” he added.
Rather than pace early, it was David’s surge near the finish that shifted things, according to CSK’s Stephen Fleming post-match. That late flourish, especially across roughly the final five overs, made the difference, he told reporters. Not earlier pressure, but those closing minutes defined the outcome.
Fleming pointed out how Chennai opened strong, carving out opportunities right away – yet wickets didn’t follow through. The rhythm slipped during the closing stages, tipping momentum elsewhere. He believed runs between 210 and 220 were possible, maybe even likely, had the back half held firm. Instead, the collapse lingered, casting a shadow when it came time to bat.
“Some good things early on, we created some chances. We unfortunately just couldn’t 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’d 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,” Fleming explained.
