Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has already entered its third matchweek; However, five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are yet to open their account in the tournament. The men in yellow have been struggling with form since last season. They finished at the bottom of the table with 10 losses and are still in that position.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has been criticized by former cricketers and cricket pundits. Now, former CSK fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji has criticized the Super Kings captain for not using English all-rounder Jamie Overton properly in the last game against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), as Overton bowled two overs for 12 runs and took one wicket and then did not use him.
Ruturaj Gaikwad criticized for not using Jamie Overton wisely
When Jamie Overton came back at the end of the innings, he scored 30 runs in the 19th over and Tim David hit four sixes in his one over and completely changed the course of the match. Overton gave 42 runs in his three overs, while 30 runs came in the last over.
Balaji, while talking on Subramaniam Badrinath’s channel, said that Overton should not bowl in the death overs and Akeal Hosein should be played in place of Prashant Veer in CSK 11 because Prashant Veer is not bowling and he also told that CSK has problems in every department.
Akeel Hosein should play in his place – Lakshmipathy Balaji
The former fast bowler said, “A good captain will eliminate his other bowlers when everything is going well. This will save 20 runs in the end. Like Overton, when you give away just 13 runs in two overs, what is the point of coming back later and giving away 40 runs in the remaining two?”
“When he was bowling well he should have completed his four. Will Overton win you the game by taking four or five wickets in the death overs? Akeal Hosein should play in place of Prashant Veer. It is about him. It is a place for him in the 11.”
He said, “Don’t bowl death to Overton. The match will end there. But at the moment, it seems that CSK has problems in every department from the captaincy as well as from the top to the middle order, from spin and fast bowling.”
You don’t need a big coach- former CSK batsman criticizes the management
Former batsman S Badrinath also criticized the CSK management for picking Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma at a whopping price of Rs 14.20 crore. Due to the pressure of high price, they have failed miserably to impress in the IPL.
Badrinath said, “It is not the players’ fault to pick Karthik Sharma and Prashant Veer for Rs 14 crore. It is the franchise’s fault. You do not need a big coach or analyst to pick these two for Rs 14 crore. When you pick these players for Rs 50 lakh, you are showing their skill in it. So it is the fault of the management, not the players.”
The Yellow team will take on Delhi Capitals in their next match tomorrow at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and will try to win their first match of IPL 2026.
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