IPL 2026: Will Ruturaj Gaikwad return to form against KKR? A look at batter's concerning dot-ball percentage
Chennai, April 14
Ahead of Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk, the form of Men in Yellow skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will be in focus, as the opening batter has struggled to get going during this season so far.
After securing their first win of the season against the Delhi Capitals (DC), CSK will be aiming to continue with the newfound winning momentum, while KKR will be targeting their first win of the season after three losses and a no result.
So far in this tournament, Gaikwad has yet to touch the 30-run mark. In four innings, he has made 56 innings at an average of 14.00 and a strike rate of 103.70, with a best score of 28.
A very concerning aspect of Ruturaj's form is the dot-ball percentage, which has been 38.4 per cent in T20S since the start of 2025. Since the start of 2025, Ruturaj has made just 184 runs in 10 innings at an average of 18.40, with two fifties and a best score of 63.
Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Prashant Solanki, Varun Chakaravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana, Umran Malik, Daksh Kamra Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry, Ramakrishna Ghosh, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zakary Foulkes.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Too much pressure on him maybe? Captaincy and opening is a tough combo. Remember how it affected Rohit Sharma initially for MI. He's a class player, form is temporary. One good innings and he'll be back.
Stats don't lie. 38.4% dots since 2025 is alarming for an Indian opener in contention for national team. He's playing too many balls to get set. In T20, you can't afford to waste deliveries like that, especially in the first 6 overs.
Watching from the UK. It's fascinating how a player's technical flaw gets highlighted so intensely in the IPL. The pressure from millions of fans must be immense. Hope he gets some support from the team management.
Chepauk pitch might be slow, which won't help his cause against KKR spinners like Narine and Varun. Maybe he should bat at 3 and let someone else take on the powerplay? Just a thought. CSK needs to be flexible.
Respectfully, I think we are being too harsh. The season has just started. He led the team to a win last match. His captaincy was good. Runs will come. Have some faith, people! 🙏 #WhistlePodu
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