CSK Told To Sack Ruturaj Gaikwad As Captain, Replace Him With...

CSK Told To Sack Ruturaj Gaikwad As Captain, Replace Him With...

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026, 15:19 IST

Subramaniam Badrinath urges CSK to replace captain Ruturaj Gaikwad with 'better' leader Sanju Samson.

Can Ruturaj Gaikwad ever get out MS Dhoni's shadow? (Picture Credit: X/@IPL)

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Subramaniam Badrinath has asked the franchise to relieve Ruturaj Gaikwad of his captaincy duties and replace him with his opening partner, Sanju Samson, at the helm. Badrinath argued that not only was Samson a better captain than Gaikwad, but it would do the latter ‘a world of good’ by freeing him of the responsibility of leading the side.

Gaikwad is only the fourth player to lead CSK and the first after MS Dhoni to do so for more than 30 matches, which explains the burden of filling the legend’s shoes he has carried all along. Leading a transitioning and slightly unlucky (see, this year’s injuries) team, he has won 14 of the 33 matches, while not making it to even one playoff.

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“Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK," Badrinath said on his YouTube channel. “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."

Some of Gaikwad’s on-field tactics have been questionable, but more importantly, he seems to have gone into a shell this year, managing 337 runs at a lowly strike-rate of 123.44. He even became the first captain-opener to play more than 20 balls without scoring a boundary.

“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter," Badrinath said. “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. Not everyone can have the clarity to compartmentalize between the roles."

Badrinath cited the example of Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, saying how even after leaving the armband, he’s successful as a batter for the team.

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First Published: May 23, 2026, 15:19 IST

News cricket CSK Told To Sack Ruturaj Gaikwad As Captain, Replace Him With...

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