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IPL 2025: Injured Ruturaj Gaikwad was dearly missed by Chennai Super Kings fans after CSK were undone by Kolkata Knight Riders in all departments in front of home crowd Chepauk on Friday.
IPL 2025: CSK were thrashed by KKR by 8 wickets and 59 deliveries to spare in Friday encounter at Chepauk.
Chennai crowd waited with their baited breath to watch their OG captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again lead the Chennai Super Kings franchise after skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the ongoing IPL 2025 due to injury. Their cheers and roars, however, quickly turned into cries for help after CSK were asked to bat first by Kolkata Knight Riders in a contest played at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. Sent to bat, CSK went down like ninepins, putting up a horror show in front of their home crowd. Playing out their designated 20 overs, CSK could only manage 103/9 on the scoreboard. Shivam Dube (31 not out) was the top scorer in the camp on the night. KKR went on with their business and finished the proceedings in 10.1 overs, as they chased down the target with no bother and 8 wickets in hand. This was CSK’s fifth loss on the trot in the 18th edition of Indian Premier League and fans were quickly reminded of injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. But why?
Sorry Ruturaj
Five-time champions CSK’s nightmarish season is closely being studied and dissected by critics and fans alike. The top-order batters are blamed for poor totals and frustrating run chases. The bowlers face the heat for uninspired display. MS Dhoni has come under scanner for coming at questionable positions, sending non-specialist batters ahead of him to face the heat. And finally, Ruturaj Gaikwad whose captaincy skills have been doubted owing to back to back losses that the camp has suffered. Seeing Dhoni don the hat of CSK captain brought a huge smile on the faces of loyal Yellow Army who believed that the team’s woes were finally over. They were wrong.
Watching CSK put up no fight at the Chepauk on Friday made fans instantly miss injured Gaikwad, as they felt that the 28-year-old was unnecessarily targeted and burdened with the blame of previous losses.
Dhoni’s several decisions as a CSK captain against KKR were questioned.
These guys wasted Impact sub on Deepak Hooda by sacrificing Pathirana and my brother got out on 0. Even Pathirana would have scored 1 run for sure 😭😭😭— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) April 11, 2025
“All those who called Ruturaj selfish, stand in a line and apologise. He tried to play through with a fracture (played two games with it),” wrote a user on ‘X’.
“Ruturaj could walk in with the bat right now and play with one hand and he’ll be the best batsman in the team. Unreal,” added another while thrashing the paltry batting show by Men in Yellow.
Also Read: Why Is Dhoni Blamed For Chennai Super Kings’ Losses? The Easy Target Of IPL Trolls
Many others simply queued up to apologise to Gaikwad for calling him “selfish” over his no. 3 batting position.
“Ruturaj played three matches with a fractured elbow. The only plausible medical explanation is that he ran on adrenaline against RR and then played the next two on steroid injections, which only worsened the injury. He knew the team needed him and still gave it his all. That kind of grit is rare. I believe in your comeback next year. Get well soon, Captain,” added another.
Criticising Dhoni’s batting position, one wrote: “ruturaj got injured for a purpose, the universe wanted us to show that a team’s performance is based collectively on how the XI players perform and not the captain. Ruturaj wasn’t the problem, the problem is still playing at no.9 (sic).”
What Happened To Ruturaj?
Gaikwad suffered an injury when he was hit by a delivery by Rajasthan Royals pacer Tushar Deshpande in Guwahati on March 30. “He (Gaikwad) got hit in Guwahati. He’s been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck. So we’re disappointed and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he’s gone to in terms of trying to play, but unfortunately, he’d be out of the tournament from now,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said while revealing that Gaikwad was trying to play through pain before eventually sitting out.
Unwanted Records
CSK’s encounter with KKR yielded unwanted records. The Dhoni-led team faced their biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining. This was CSK’s lowest total in the IPL. The Friday contest also marked CSK’s third consecutive loss at home in the ongoing season.
Also Read: Ambati Rayudu: The Unapologetic MS Dhoni Superfan ‘Stuck’ In IPL Commentary Job
Are CSK Out?
Friday’s embarrassing display brought CSK their fifth consecutive loss in IPL 2025. Reeling at the ninth position in the standings currently with only one win to their name against Mumbai Indians, are CSK done and dusted?
There is still hope and we don’t even have to rewind far to know CSK could potentially rise from this and make it to the next stage.
In 2024, Royal Challengers Bangalore recorded six consecutive losses after starting their campaign with a loss and a win. Already at seven losses to their name in eight games, RCB had an epic rise in the points table as the side notched up six consecutive wins. This unprecedented return pushed RCB to the Playoffs and they booked a berth in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals. RCB did not win the crucial fixture and concluded their tumultuous season with 14 points and fourth spot in the rankings. Virat Kohli notched up a staggering 741 runs, earning him an Orange Cap.
