Refusing to hit the panic button after a tough eight-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad looked at the bright side, suggesting that starting the season with a lot of mistakes gives them the best opportunity to learn and adapt.
We would have taken the game deep: Ruturaj Gaikwad
RR didn't just beat but annihilated CSK in their IPL 2026 campaign opener in Guwahati on March 30.
"(Frustrated?) Not much, to be honest. I felt the conditions at the start were really tough, especially when facing Jofra and Burger. They bowled brilliant lengths and even after that, to a medium-pacer it was slightly tough. You could see even the spinners were getting some assistance as well. Yes, we would have been better in batting, we would have taken the game deep, showed some batsmanship, maybe take the game till 150-160. But, nowadays, you never know what's a good score, so you just have to keep going," Gaikwad said at the post-match presentation.
"So I think it just one of those days where the wicket was slightly on the tougher side. So not frustrated at all. (Do you reassess as a group?) You just put it behind and move on. We've got a game in another three days. Make sure that everyone is in a good headspace. One good thing is, a lot of youngsters in the group. So, probably a nervy start for everyone, but good to get a game behind and good to start with lot of mistakes," he added.
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CSK's flop batting
CSK's innings once again exposed glaring concerns surrounding their top-order stability. During the critical powerplay overs, the batting unit could only muster 41 runs while sacrificing three crucial wickets. This chronic inability to string together meaningful partnerships ultimately proved to be their downfall, as not a single batting stand managed to cross the 40-run mark throughout the entire innings. The groundwork for the Rajasthan Royals' dominant victory was laid entirely by their bowling unit, whose disciplined and relentless effort never allowed the Super Kings to settle at the crease. After being inserted to bat, CSK struggled from the very beginning, losing wickets at regular intervals and completely failing to generate any sustainable momentum.
Opting to field first paid immediate dividends for the Royals as they systematically dismantled Chennai to keep them to a meager total of 127. CSK endured a nightmare start, losing both Sanju Samson for 6 and captain Gaikwad for 6 within the first three overs of the match. When Ayush Mhatre fell for a duck shortly after, Chennai was left reeling at a disastrous 19 for 3 in just 3.1 overs.
The only genuine resistance of the day came from Jamie Overton, who played a fighting knock of 43 off 36 balls, including two boundaries and two sixes. Unfortunately, he was completely starved of support from the lower order; Shivam Dube was sent back for just 6, Noor Ahmad struggled for 1 off 9 balls, and Matt Henry could only add 5 before the innings wrapped up in 19.4 overs.
Rajasthan's bowlers executed a perfect team display, sharing the workload effectively to keep the pressure mounting. Jofra Archer (2/19) and Nandre Burger (2/26) struck the heavy blows early on, while Ravindra Jadeja (2/18) used his experience to remove key middle-order threats. Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma also chipped in with a wicket apiece to clean up the tail.
In reply, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cracked a blistering 17-ball 52 to help RR overhaul the lowly target with 47 balls to spare.
CSK will next face Punjab Kings on April 3, while RR will take on Gujarat Titans on April 4.