CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad put on a single-handed batting show at the Chepauk to rescue his side against the Gujarat Titans. Gaikwad was struggling to get going as the hosts suffered a top order collapse, batting at 19 off 35 balls at one stage. However, the CSK captain turned up the heat in the second half off the innings, finishing with an unbeaten 74.
Tale of two halves
Ruturaj Gwakwad got off to a flyer with back to back boundaries off Mohammed Siraj in the third over of the innings. However, CSK lost Sanju Samson, Urvil Patel and Sarfaraz Khan departed in quick succession to leave them reeling at 25/3.
Gaikwad then got stuck at the crease in a painstaking innings, moving to 19 off 35 balls. CSK scored only 43 in the first 10 overs of the innings, with Gujarat Titans completely dominating the proceedings.
Gaikwad carries his bat
Gaikwad in the second half of the innings, stepped up on the accelarator. Batting alongside Shivam Dube, the CSK opener got a few boundaries going. He eventually reached his half-century in 49 balls. It is the slowest in IPL 2026, beating Rishabh Pant's 41-ball innings earlier this season.
Gaikwad in the end made up for his slow strike rate, managing to remain unbeaten on 74 off 60 balls. He scored 55 off his last 25 balls, scoring a total of six boundaries and four sixes.
