INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | ANSHUL’S 23.62 ECONOMY RATE AGAINST LSG IS HIGHEST IN IPL HISTORY
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Chennai, May 19: Chennai Super Kings’ head coach Stephen Fleming acknowledged that Ruturaj Gaikwad is still a work in progress as captain after the side’s playoff hopes in the ongoing IPL were left massively dented by a loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here.
CSK suffered a five-wicket defeat to SRH here on Monday, leaving their playoff hopes dependent on a complex set of mathematical possibilities.They now face a must-win final league game against Gujarat Titans on Thursday, while depending on other results to fall in their favour. SRH, on the other hand, sealed their playoff berth on Tuesday night.
“Ruturaj will be going through that (transition) as part of his development. It’s a big transition from having one of the best captains (in MS Dhoni) at cricket scene running the franchise for such a long time to a new captain,” Fleming said of 29-year-old Gaikwad, who has been CSK skipper for three seasons.
“So it’s going to take a little bit of time. And he’s doing a good job. He has a massive amount of respect with this group of players. And he’s learning all the time and putting that into play.“So going forward, I have no doubt he’ll be a fine captain for this franchise,” added the New Zealander.Gaikwad is averaging a modest 29 this season, managing only two half centuries in the 13 matches so far.
Fleming said the season has not been kind to the team, conceding that it was already a step behind other sides due to the changes made over the past year.
CSK overhauled their squad following a disappointing 2025 season, releasing mainstays such as Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra, and Devon Conway. (PTI)
