When it rains, it pours. In the 19th iteration of India’s summer cricket carnival, Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has had a woeful batting run. CSK’s poor start to the IPL 2026 season (two wins in six matches) has piled on the misery.

Ruturaj, in the company of the new Super King Sanju Samson, was expected to carry the batting unit. But, with returns of 82 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 112.33 and an average of 13.67, the 29-year-old has failed to lead from the front.

Having decided to return to the top of the order — he had preferred to walk out at No. 3 in the previous season — Ruturaj has often had starting trouble.

He has been dismissed for single digits thrice and scored more than 20 just once.

He has survived the PowerPlay only twice and even in one of those knocks, he was back in the dugout two deliveries after the field restrictions were eased.

The opener has fallen prey to different types of bowlers — thrice to pacers, twice to left-arm spinners and once to a leggie — and the dismissals suggest he has to work on his technical shortcomings.

In Super Kings’ 180-plus run chases, Ruturaj’s returns of 174 in 13 innings at 126.08 have not been good enough in an era where elite batters and teams are mastering the art of hunting down huge targets.

The CSK skipper needs to shed his conservative approach and return to his combative self which has elevated him to where he is today.