Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's rotten toss luck continued in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on May 1. He lost the flip for the ninth time in ten matches this season, latest in the clash against PBKS. Punjab Kings skipper Sam Curran won the toss against CSK on May 1 and chose to field first, a decision that proved to be a good one as Punjab cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against CSK. Chasing a modest target of 163, Jonny Bairstow (46) and Rilee Rossouw (43) anchored the chase for Punjab Kings, taking them home in just 17.5 overs. Earlier, CSK were restricted to 162/7 in their 20 overs, with Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar picking up two wickets each for PBKS.
Ruturaj Gaikwad rues rotten toss luck
Gaikwad rued CSK's big defeat and during the post-match presentation said that he has been practising the tosses but it's not going well for him this IPL season.
“Probably 50-60 runs short, the pitch wasn't great when we batted, it got better later on. With the impact rule as well, we were well short. I've practiced the tosses (during the practice sessions), it's not going well in the match, not sure what to do. To be truthful, I'm under pressure when I go to the middle (for the toss).”
"We were also surprised that we won by a big margin in the last match considering the conditions. I think the last two games, the conditions and pitch was better, it allowed us to fight hard and get to 200+, today, it wasn't good enough to get to even 180. It's a real problem (on the player missing due to injuries and Chahal walking away in the first over), there are phases where you want wickets, but you have only two bowlers, the dew took the spinners out of the equation. It was tough, but there're four games left and we will try and come back to winning ways," Ruturaj Gaikwad concluded.
Gaikwad snatches Orange Cap from Virat Kohli
Even though Ruturaj Gaikwad continues to shine with the bat, leading the IPL 2024 Orange Cap race with a whopping 509 runs, riding on a century and four fifties at a scorching strike rate of 146.68 across 10 matches, his captaincy hasn't translated to luck at the toss. Ruturaj apparently dethroned Virat Kohli who was donning the Orange Cap so far. CSK suffered a loss against PBKS, but Gaikwad's batting brilliance helped them maintain their fourth position in the points table. The win, however, propelled Punjab Kings up to seventh place.
CSK will lock horns with PBKS yet again on May 5.
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