Former India and Chennai Super Kings spinner R Ashwin has defended CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad after the team’s disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. He urged the fans to stop abusing Gaikwad, as CSK failed to reach the playoffs for the third IPL season in a row.
CSK’s IPL 2026 ended with a huge defeat of 89 runs to the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 21. GT was asked to bat first, and thanks to Sai Sudharsan (84), Shubman Gill (64), and Jos Buttler (57*), they scored 229/4 in 20 overs.
In response, Shivam Dube top-scored with 49 runs as CSK was bowled out for 140 runs. Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Rashid Khan took three wickets each for GT.
The season also marked a significant transformation for CSK, particularly in the absence of iconic captain MS Dhoni, who did not appear in a single match during IPL 2026. With Gaikwad coaching a young and injury-plagued group, the team struggled to sustain the consistency that distinguished the Dhoni years.
Ashwin defended Gaikwad against the growing criticism from fans and stressed that poor form can happen to any player.
"I will maintain that Ruturaj is a good player, yes. Sometimes, people abuse so much; I don't know the reason. Ruturaj Gaikwad is not that kind of player. It can happen to anyone. Time can change for anyone. Take Ishan Kishan, for example. If you remember, the Mumbai Indians spent a lot of money to get Ishan Kishan in the auction, but he didn't do much at the Mumbai Indians.
SRH also invested in him, but he is batting well for SRH. So, time changes for everyone, but it doesn't make any sense to, you know, abuse any players or anything like that," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also reminded supporters that the IPL has grown substantially more competitive since the early days of CSK's supremacy under Dhoni.
"Dhoni and CSK have made everyone habituated over the last 18 years that we will win and we will reach the playoffs; it's that easy. It is not like that now. There are 10 teams now. Every team plays good cricket. Anyone can beat anyone on their day, and Chennai this time won against all the teams below them, who are at the bottom of the table. So, they have some yards to go, but they have a lot of promise in their team," Ashwin explained.
Gaikwad was retained by CSK for INR 18 crores before the IPL 2025 auction, but in the IPL 2026, he only managed 337 runs in 14 innings at an average of 28.08, and his strike rate of 123.44 became a major talking point.
