‘Leading from the front’ – this is the most often used term in cricket when captains perform. It’s as cliched as it gets. More often than not, the best player in a team is named skipper. The likelihood of them ‘leading from the front’ is high. Well, that wasn’t the case in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match.
Ruturaj Gaikwad struggles in Chennai
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad played what is the opposite of a captain’s knock. In fact, one could say that he and SRH captain Pat Cummins were playing for the same team. CSK might go on to win the match and remain alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Playoffs race, but Gaikwad’s stay in the middle was abominable.
An opener, Gaikwad, has repeatedly failed to maximise the powerplay. Winning the powerplay, with bat and ball, has more often than not resulted in victory in IPL 2026. Yet, Gaikwad has failed. He has the worst strike rate, 124.60, in the entire league in the powerplay. Against SRH, he was even worse. From overs one to six, Gaikwad scored 9 off 11, with a strike rate of 81.81.
Batters with lowest strike rate in powerplay in IPL 2026
BatterRunsStrike RateRuturaj Gaikwad182124.60Angkrish Raghuvanshi129126.50Ajinkya Rahane123127.00Sai Sudharsan270144.40Minimum 100 balls playedKartik Sharma, Urvil Patel, and Sanju Samson were the other two CSK batters who batted in the powerplay; they scored 6 (5), 13 (8), and 27 (13). Gaikwad’s struggles didn’t end after the powerplay. He continued and was dismissed in the 12th over. His final score was 15 (21), as he managed 6 (10) in the middle overs, a phase where he’s expected to cover for his slow starts.
Mid-innings, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming was asked about Gaikwad’s struggles, and he backed him to recover. “I know it sounds old school, but we need one guy who bats through the innings. Rutu played a lot of cricket. He knows what’s needed. We trust him in that,” he said. What else can a coach say about a captain scoring 15 off 21?
Ruturaj Gaikwad struck at 71.43; all the other CSK batters struck at 157.57 | Image Credit: Seshadri Sukumar/AlamyPat Cummins, leading the way
Gaikwad was dismissed by Cummins with a bouncer. He actually fits the bill for the ‘leading from the front’ cliche. After missing 7 matches with injury, the Australian fast bowler has returned and had an immediate impact. Not only is SRH on the verge of making the IPL 2026 Playoffs, but he has also been their best bowler, with 8 wickets in 6 matches.
In fact, it was Cummins vs CSK for the majority of the first innings. It was he who dismissed Samson in the powerplay, bounced Kartik out, and then ended Gaikwad’s struggle. Three of the first four wickets belonged to him. He gave away 28 runs, an economy of 7.50.
Excluding the damage done by Cummins, CSK scored 152 in 16 overs. That’s the economy of 9.50. He basically saved 8 runs. Gaikwad’s performance was the exact opposite. He scored 15 off 21, with a strike rate of 71.43. All the other CSK batters combined to score 156 off 99, a strike rate of 157.57. In simple terms, CSK could’ve scored 18 more runs had Gaikwad batted at a similar strike rate.
Of course, this is just theoretical. Every ball has a cascading effect in cricket. Had Gaikwad been batting at a better strike rate, others like Shivam Dube or Dewald Brevis wouldn’t have felt the need to consolidate and ensure there isn’t a collapse. Of course, it all could’ve gone worse as well. But there’s no doubt he slowed CSK down against SRH, who are a batting-heavy team.
Pat Cummins surpasses Hardik Pandya for most wickets as IPL captain #IPL #PatCummins #HardikPandya #Cricket pic.twitter.com/Jlt6e6bNSL
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) May 18, 2026Ruturaj Gaikwad & Pat Cummins in CSK vs SRH match
Gaikwad: 15 off 21 (SR: 71.43), Other CSK batters: 156 off 99 (SR: 157.57) Cummins: 28/3 in 4 overs (ECON: 7.50), Other SRH bowlers: 152/4 in 16 overs (ECON: 9.50)Ruturaj Gaikwad & Pat Cummins: Two captains in CSK vs SRH match but both playing for same team Inside Sport India.
Hence then, the article about ruturaj gaikwad pat cummins two captains in csk vs srh match but both playing for same team was published today ( ) and is available on Inside sport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ruturaj Gaikwad & Pat Cummins: Two captains in CSK vs SRH match but both playing for same team )
Also on site :