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2 min readMay 23, 2026 03:05 PM IST
Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad have had contrasting returns as openers for CSK in IPL 2026. (CREIMAS)
With the Chennai Super Kings crashing out of the IPL 2026 season after two successive defeats at the end of the league stage, former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath has urged a leadership rethink for the five-time winners for the next edition.
Badrinath minced no words as he sought CSK to sack captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and appoint India wicket-keeper Sanju Samson as the next skipper. Roped in ahead of the IPL 2025 season through a Rs 18 crore trade from the Rajasthan Royals, Samson emerged as CSK’s highest run-scorer in his first season with the side. It also coincided with a below-par season for Samson’s opening partner and captain.
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“Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK. It should be Sanju Samson who should lead them. Ruturaj the batter is too important for CSK. His batting is more important than his captaincy because, anyway, Sanju Samson is a better captain than him. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a phenomenal T20 batter and has done extraordinary things for CSK,” Badrinath told on his YouTube channel.
Gaikwad finished the season with the lowest strike-rate among all batters in the Powerplay and only amassed 337 runs in 14 matches at 28.08. Badrinath said that freeing up Gaikwad from leadership duties will elevate the Maharashtra batter back to his best as an opener.
“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter. It won’t be a harsh decision if he is stripped of captaincy. It’s more beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good. This is not new only to him. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. If you are someone who is intense and thinks too much, it’s hard to detach from captaincy even while batting,” added Badrinath.
Gaikwad holds an underwhelming record since taking over from MS Dhoni as CSK skipper in 2024, winning only 14 of the 33 matches he has led in.
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