Chennai, April 2
Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League match against Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that he is not trying to force himself as a captain on a much-younger and inexperienced team and is willing to "let them make mistakes, express themselves and stay in good headspace".
The opening game of IPL 2026 for CSK saw as many as five debutants for the side, including Sarfaraz Khan and Rs 14.20 crore big-buy wicketkeeper batter Kartik Sharma. This was their first-ever game in history in which neither MS Dhoni nor Suresh Raina, two of CSK's biggest stalwarts, featured in the playing XI. Raina called it quits from all formats of the game back in 2022, and Dhoni is out due to a calf strain for two weeks.
Speaking ahead of the team's next match, Gaikwad was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo that the team did not have the best of the squads last year, and the current team is also young, which needs to be allowed to make mistakes and express themselves.
CSK has moved on from long-term stars Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo over the last few years, investing in new talents like Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Ayush Mhatre etc and getting Sanju Samson to the side as a part of the trade with Rajasthan Royals, giving them Jadeja and Sam Curran in return.
"Not forcing it [captaincy], to be honest," Gaikwad said ahead of the first home game of the season as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "But, we did not have the best of squads last year. And when I say that, you know, no disrespect to any players. But, I think, the combination did not just click the way we wanted."
"Looking at this team now, it is a very young team. The excitement is there but at the same time, there's a lot of difference between experienced players and inexperienced players. So, you have to allow them to make mistakes. You have to allow them to express themselves. You have to make sure that they are in a good headspace," he added.
CSK's rookies failed in their first game, with Mhatre, Kartik and Sarfaraz failing with the bat and Samson, the T20 World Cup 'Player of the Tournament', scoring in single digits in his first outing for Men in Yellow. They batted in tough conditions at Guwahati, and the pitch had spent a lot of time under covers. The CSK skipper was not too fussed about the failure and wanted the youngsters to embrace the pressure which comes with the competition, noting that it marks the start of career for many players.
"I mean, [there is pressure to perform] from families, from the media, from team members, everyone [in the IPL]," Gaikwad said.
"So to cope with that and to just get into that IPL performance mode, sometimes it takes time."
"You try and share your experience with them, [but] it should not make them cautious. It should not make them go into a negative frame of mind. Making their debut for a franchise like CSK - it is a huge achievement for them. So, first thing is to enjoy it, embrace it and give your best, whatever it is there. If it happens, well and good; even if it does not happen, it is still a long journey for them. They are still at the start of their careers. It is just about managing what are their strengths, and just navigating them to be fearless and not have any doubts about it," he concluded.
- ANI
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