CSK Head Coach Stephen Fleming Shows Faith In Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad Despite Lean Patch In IPL 2026: 'He's Working Hard'
In the ongoing IPL 2026, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has failed to put on a show, but still, head coach Stephen Fleming backed the 29-year-old.
- Cricket
- 2 min read
IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 27 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, April 18.
The Super Kings had a sluggish start to IPL 2026, suffering three consecutive defeats. However, the Chennai-based franchise bounced back strongly, proving that the five-time IPL champions cannot be written off easily.
Currently, CSK sit in eighth place on the IPL 2026 standings with four points and a net run rate of -0.846. They have played five matches so far, winning two and losing three.
Despite CSK finding some momentum, fans remain concerned about skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s lean patch.
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Stephen Fleming Backs Ruturaj Gaikwad Amid Lean Patch
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming has backed Gaikwad despite his struggles in the 19th edition of the IPL. Fleming said the captain is training well and will be fine soon, adding that the 29-year-old maintains a positive mindset.
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“He’s going fine. He hasn’t had the returns that he would like, and he’s working hard on that. But that can be the nature of T20. He’s training well, he’s hitting the ball well, he has a positive mindset, he just hasn’t got away yet,” Fleming said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Fleming praised Gaikwad, calling him a quality player, and expressed confidence that he will bounce back. He emphasized that Gaikwad has strong support around him.
“But we’ve seen over the years that he’s a quality player. And if we can cover for him for a few games and he comes into form, then that’s the way an IPL can go. Very rarely does someone dominate the whole way through, but if we have players coming in and out of form and they dovetail, then that’s a good thing. He’s working hard and he’s got a lot of support around him,” he added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's Numbers In IPL
Gaikwad has played 76 matches and 75 innings in his IPL career, scoring 2,565 runs at a strike rate of 136.43 and an average of 38.28. He has registered two centuries and 20 fifties in the league.
In the ongoing season, the 29-year-old has played five matches, scoring just 63 runs at a strike rate of 105.00 and an average of 12.60.