File photo of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad© X/Twitter
Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 season has ended. The team faced several injury issues right from the start that haunted them till the end of the league stage. Even then, a team like CSK, which has won five titles in the past, is almost always expected to be among the top four. That was not to be this year, and the Gaikwad-led side could manage 12 points from 14 games. The side started with three losses and ended with as many defeats in their last three games. In between, they strung together a decent run of wins to be in contention for the playoffs.
After CSK’s playoff dreams ended, former player Subramaniam Badrinath said the team needed to have a new captain next season.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel. “It should be Sanju Samson who should lead them. Ruturaj the batter is too important for CSK. His batting is more important than his captaincy because, anyway, Sanju Samson is a better captain than him. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a phenomenal T20 batter and has done extraordinary things for CSK.
“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter. It won’t be a harsh decision if he is stripped of captaincy. It’s more beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good. This is not new only to him. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. If you are someone who is intense and thinks too much, it’s hard to detach from captaincy even while batting.”
He added that the balance between batting and captaincy is not easy.
“Not everyone can have the clarity to compartmentalize between the roles. Dhoni always had it from the start, and Rohit Sharma was naturally born with it. Even Virat Kohli is not leading RCB, and Patidar is doing it superbly while Kohli remains one of the best T20 batters in the world. So a switch in captaincy can make a big difference,” said Badrinath.
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