IPL 2026: ‘Ruturaj can do more’- Stephen Fleming’s blunt verdict after Gaikwad’s painful knock
Ruturaj Gaikwad's slow batting in CSK's crucial loss to SRH has drawn criticism, despite Stephen Fleming's backing as captain. Gaikwad's lack of intent at the top order, particularly in the powerplay, is hindering CSK's momentum. While Fleming acknowledges the need for improvement, fans' patience is waning as the team faces playoff uncertainty.
Stephen Fleming may have publicly backed Ruturaj Gaikwad as the future captain of Chennai Super Kings, but his comments after CSK’s defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad also carried a clear message — the skipper’s batting has not been good enough in IPL 2026. CSK’s five-wicket defeat at Chepauk once again exposed the team’s biggest issue this season: a lack of intent at the top. And much of the focus fell on Gaikwad after another painfully slow innings in a must-win game.
While other batters looked to attack on a decent batting surface, Gaikwad struggled badly for momentum, managing just 15 runs off 21 balls. At the end of the powerplay, he was crawling on nine from 11 deliveries despite Chennai getting quick starts from Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel. The sluggish knock hurt CSK’s momentum in the middle overs and added pressure on the rest of the batting line-up.
By the time Pat Cummins dismissed him with a sharp short ball, frustration around Chepauk had already started growing. Fleming did not directly criticise his captain, but his remarks made it clear that the franchise expects far more from Gaikwad. “I think Ruturaj can do more,” Fleming admitted after the loss.
“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.