Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are on the brink of elimination from IPL 2026, after they lost their last home game in Chennai to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, May 18. And now ex-India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has advised them to rethink about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy.
Tiwary said that Gaikwad was given the great responsibility of filling MS Dhoni's shoes after taking over as captain in 2024. While acknowledging the challenge, he felt Gaikwad should focus on building his own legacy at the franchise instead.
Tiwary stated that Gaikwad's disappointing performance this season – 321 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 120.67 — has reflected in his captaincy, which he believes lacks confidence.
“You said Ruturaj needs to fill his (Dhoni's) shoes. I feel there isn't any shoe of that size yet. He should focus on building his own legacy, and for that, he has to do extensive research on his past matches and identify where he needs to improve, and only after that can he prepare to be a captain next season. A captain can only be positive when he himself is scoring runs. But he isn't scoring runs. He is lacking that fluency,” Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
Gaikwad played a slow innings of 15 runs in 21 balls as CSK struggled their way to 180 runs batting first. Then, thanks to Ishan Kishan’s 70, SRH managed to chase down the total with 5 wickets in hand and one over to spare. With this win, SRH and GT qualified for the playoffs, leaving only one spot open.
Sanju Samson has been the aggressor in Chennai's top batting template, with Gaikwad anchoring from the opposite end. However, Gaikwad has frequently refused to change gears in games where Samson has struggled to get going, putting further strain on Chennai's batting unit.
“As of now, we know CSK can win matches without Dhoni, but if they change the captain, the wicketkeeper, nothing can replace his absence on the field. But rest assured, it has been confirmed that they can win matches without him. They now need to consider how to build the team,” he added.
Tiwary reckoned Gaikwad’s captaincy may no longer be safe and suggested the management could hand the role to Samson, who has previously captained Rajasthan Royals and even guided them to an IPL final.
“Let's see if he remains the captain next season, because I feel that Samson is in the fray. And it will be a good decision as well. If Chennai brought him for a specific reason, they might see him as a leader. Gaikwad has been the captain for two seasons, and that's why they extended that period this season. But Samson could be the skipper next year. Irrespective of where they finish, they have to decide, and Samson is the best person because he led RR as well and is a good batsman as well,” he said.
Under Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK have not qualified for the playoffs even once. They have a mere 6% chance of qualifying for the 2026 Indian Premier League after finishing fifth in 2024 and last in 2025.
