Off the 21st delivery he faced, Ruturaj Gaikwad finally took the aerial route off Pat Cummins. As Eshan Malinga pouched it deep square-leg, and Gaikwad dragged himself off, it felt as if the packed house at Chepauk was more relieved than stunned into silence. 15 off 21. No boundary or a six to show. A strike-rate of 71.42. Opening the batting and returning to the pavilion after 11.3 overs, the numbers said it all.
In a tournament where openers and the top three have been setting the early pace with quickfire knocks, Gaikwad has been the opposite. His strike-rate of 120.67 is way below what modern T20 template demands. Chennai Super Kings’ opponent on the night, Sunrisers Hyderabad, have at their disposal two openers who strike at 209.13 and 171.09. As the broadcaster put out a graphic, Gaikwad’s strike-rate of 125 is the lowest among all openers who have faced a minimum of 200 deliveries this season.
Batsmen enduring a dip in form through the course of the IPL isn’t new. CSK have had the habit of carrying them, waiting patiently to turn the corner and have succeeded in it. But in those seasons, they have had other batsmen put their hands up and deliver. This season, for a franchise that is already ravaged by injuries, and an inexperienced middle-order to factor in, and Shivam Dube not in the best of form, they have been over-reliant on the top-order, in particular Sanju Samson. Beyond the 477 runs he has scored, the next highest is Gaikwad with 321. But in terms of making an impact, the CSK captain has just one innings of an unbeaten 67 to show against Mumbai Indians, which came in a winning cause.
Right through the season, CSK have had the lowest run-rate (8.84). And this despite Samson being at his best and giving them quick starts at the top. While he has continued to embrace a high-risk approach, Gaikwad has been rather timid. Right through IPL 2026, even in conditions that have suited batsmen, Gaikwad has seldom tried to bat in the top gear. If anything, his approach has been measured. Maybe, much of it is to do with a middle-order that isn’t giving much confidence, which is forcing him to adopt that approach. Maybe the pressure of leading a franchise that is fighting hard is reflected in the batting. Maybe he doesn’t have form by his side. And maybe, all of it is having a collective effect on his batting.
Powering strike-rates may not be in Gaikwad’s game, but there was always fluency in his knocks. Previously, even if it started slow, he had the good habit of not just catching up but making up for it once he got his eyes in.
His innings against Hyderabad on Monday was one that Gaikwad would want to forget by the time he wakes up on Tuesday. CSK were 17/0 after the first over and 43/1 after three overs. Urvil Patel walked in and tonked two sixes and was off. Kartik walked in and straightaway managed to change the tempo. So in terms of the conditions, there was very little to complain about.
Against Gujarat Titans, he had got himself into a shell that the more he tried, the harder it became. That innings, at least, came on a track where the Gujarat seamers had enough purchase to work around. Here, apart from Cummins, who took the pace off and bowled into the pitch deliveries, there was nothing to suggest anything was alarming that prevented him from freeing his arms.
Gaikwad grinding at one end meant that batsmen at the other end had to make up. Against a Hyderabad team that bats deep, it was an innings that did no favours to CSK. Wherever they go from here, Chennai have some soul searching to do, and it would start with Gaikwad, who hasn’t been himself this season.
