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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming did not hold back as he talked about captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s diminishing returns in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. In CSK's last home game, Gaikwad struggled. He batted till the 12th over and managed to score just 15 runs from 21 balls on a tricky Chepauk surface. As CSK’s playoffs qualification chances hang on a slip thread after loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Fleming assured that his lack of contribution with the bat will be addressed.
"I think 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 in the post-match presentation.
With one more league game to go, Gaikwad has scored 321 runs from 13 innings at an average of 29.18 and strike rate of 120.67. He has scored two fifties in the season so far.
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Fleming on Gaikwad’s captaincy in IPL 2026
Fleming does not want to judge Gaikwad on the last season as he was ruled out due to injury. The former New Zealand captain said that the CSK is going through a transition with MS Dhoni in his twilight phase. He believes that Gaikwad is doing a good job and will do better for the franchise going forward.
"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 said.
"It's a big transition from having one of the best captains [MS Dhoni] in the cricket scene running the franchise for such a long time to a new captain. So it's going to take a little bit of time. But he's doing a good job. He has a massive amount of respect for this group of players. And he's learning all the time and putting that into play. So going forward, I have no doubt he'll be a fine captain for this franchise," he added.
Are CSK alive in playoffs race?
Despite the five-wicket defeat, CSK are alive in the playoffs race. Their next match is against Gujarat Titans (GT) away from home on May 21. In order to make it to the playoffs, they would not only have to win against GT but hope that other games go in their favour as well. Even if they beat GT, they can face competition for the fourth playoffs spot from Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and even Delhi Capitals (DC).
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