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Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad seems to be having one of those IPL 2026 season where the bat just doesn’t come off like expected. Once again, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he couldn’t really get going in a big way, and yeah it showed pretty clearly in the way he batted.

 

Gaikwad, a right-handed batter, opened with Sanju Samson after CSK won the toss and decided to bat first. The pitch looked fairly decent for stroke play too, but still, the CSK captain never really looked fully settled at the crease, and runs didn’t come as easily as you’d think they should.

 

Pat Cummins removes Gaikwad after a Slow innings

 

Sanju Samson was solid early, smashing 27 runs off just 13 balls, giving CSK that quick momentum. But from the other end, Gaikwad couldn’t keep up with that aggression.

 

Pat Cummins removed Gaikwad after the CSK skipper made only 15 runs from 21 deliveries. He didn’t find any boundary at all during his time, finishing with a strike rate of 71.43, which is not the kind of number teams want when things are supposed to accelerate.

 

Most of his runs were singles and doubles, sure, but that slower pace gradually piled up pressure on the CSK middle order. His wicket also arrived at a key moment, right when CSK were trying to build momentum, and that timing didn’t help at all.

 

And again, Cummins proved why he’s one of the tournament’s standout bowlers this season. It wasn’t just about getting a wicket, it was about controlling the rhythm.

 

Also Read | IPL 2026: Pat Cummins Scripts History during SRH vs CSK Clash; Now Just Behind Shane Warne

 

Gaikwad has now joined an unwanted IPL record list

 

With his innings of 15 off 21 balls without a boundary, Gaikwad entered an unwanted IPL list involving captains who faced the most balls in an innings without hitting a four or six. Interestingly, former CSK captain MS Dhoni appears four times on the same list.

 

Most Balls Faced in an IPL innings without a Boundary

 

Player	Score
Steve Smith	34 off 39 vs SRH
MS Dhoni	28 off 30 vs RCB
MS Dhoni	18 off 27 vs DC
MS Dhoni	8* off 22 vs KKR
Rohit Sharma	18 off 22 vs CSK
Axar Patel	11 off 22 vs KKR
MS Dhoni	12 off 21 vs MI
Ruturaj Gaikwad	15 off 21 vs SRH

 

 

The record feels a bit surprising too, because a lot of these players are actually known for a more attacking style in T20 cricket, so to see the innings go boundary-less after so many deliveries is kind of jarring.

 

Gaikwad's IPL 2026 Numbers Remain below Expectations

 

Coming into the season, CSK and fans had high hopes, since he’s been one of their more dependable batters in recent years. But this year, it hasn’t really clicked for him in the same way.

 

In 12 matches, Gaikwad has managed 306 runs, with an average of 40. Still, his strike rate is 124.90, and that’s his lowest in any IPL season since he made his debut back in 2020.

 

That kind of inconsistency has also started to put pressure on others, especially Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube, to score faster during the middle overs. When the anchor doesn’t shift up, everyone else has to compensate.

 

With the playoff race tightening, CSKwill be hoping the captain can find his rhythm again soon, in the remaining matches of IPL 2026, because they’ll need him to fire when it matters.