Bye Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 It is going on, the first round match is over. The second round will begin today with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Tomorrow Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their second match. Earlier, former CSK batsman has expressed concern over Ruturaj Gaikwad.
CSK has lost its first match Rajasthan Royals (RR). They were completely defeated by the Royals in their first game of the tournament. Ahead of the second match against PBKS, former CSK batsman Subramaniam Badrinath has questioned Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy. Ruturaj Gaikwad has lost the joint-most number of matches as captain after 20 matches.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made an unwanted record
Under his captaincy, CSK has lost 12 out of the last 20 matches. CSK finished at the bottom of the table last season and had to face defeat in 10 matches, which was their worst ever season in IPL history. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team started the new season in this manner. CSK’s batting department has not been good this season either.
While talking about Gaikwad’s captaincy on YouTube channel, Badrinath said, “There has been a big question mark on his captaincy. The team’s energy seemed very low in the last match. His decisions are also questionable. And his captaincy record is also not good.” Under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Super Kings are facing defeat in five consecutive matches.
CSK could not find its rhythm
regardless of business sanju samson The Yellow Army failed to win their first game against the Royals. They scored only 127 runs and RR chased the target in just 12.1 overs. Gaikwad has not been able to come out of MS Dhoni’s shadow, as CSK has won only one match without the former Indian captain.
Badrinath was all praise for PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, who is CSK’s next opponent. Iyer has been excellent in taking the team to the IPL 2025 final, however, they ultimately lost against RCB.
PBKS looks like a well-oiled machine- S Badrinath
He said, “He (Iyer) is emerging as a captain. Under his leadership, PBKS looks like a good machine with the Indian youngsters showing enthusiasm. Even the overseas youngsters seem to be showing enthusiasm like Cooper Connolly in the last match. Punjab Kings will be a force to be reckoned with and CSK will have to play really good cricket to beat them.”
PBKS Qualified for the playoffs after a decade under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Although they finished runners-up, their performances throughout the season were excellent. Iyer has led the team from the front and won exciting low-scoring matches last season. They started the season well with a win against Gujarat Titans in their first home match.
In the last five CSK vs PBKS matches, the Punjab team has had the upper hand and have won four out of five games. The last time CSK won was in 2024. This is going to be another great match between these two sides.
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