Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned Ruturaj Gaikwad’s strike rate ahead of the IPL 2026 match against Gujarat Titans. Gaikwad has scored his runs at a strike rate of 120.67 in the ongoing season, which is not good enough according to Chopra.
The CSK skipper has scored 321 runs in 13 matches at an average of 29.18 and thus has failed to lead from the front.
“For Chennai and Ruturaj, there has been a lot of discussion, and the truth is that whatever has happened is not great. A strike rate close to 120 is not good. You will have to play a little more quickly now,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator highlighted that the batting duo of Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis also needs to perform better for CSK.
“Shivam Dube, not a great season. You will also have to play better. Dewald Brevis has played good knocks in patches. He will have to finish well, and Kartik Sharma, just keep growing in confidence. If it’s actually a seaming surface, play Matt Henry, and there won’t be a place for Akeal Hosein,” he observed.
Chopra highlighted CSK’s campaign will be over if one of PBKS, KKR, and RR wins their respective last matches.
“It’s a simple story for the Chennai Super Kings as you can garner only two points. If you play very well, you can improve your net run rate a little. However, despite that, your future is not in your hands at all, and 99 percent, it won’t be useful to you because Punjab and KKR can both reach 15 points, and one of them can reach there for sure. As soon as a team reaches 15 points, you are done, and RR are already sitting on 14,” he said.
“Even if we assume all teams lose their respective matches, the team sitting on 14 has a better net run rate than you, and they have their match on the last day as well. So even if they are losing, they can ensure that they lose with a small margin. So they do have all their cards in their hands. If I think about it from Chennai’s perspective, I am getting the feeling like a lamp about to extinguish,” Chopra observed.
CSK will take on GT at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Thursday.
