Three matches, three defeats and a growing list of questions for Gaikwad's CSK
The numbers paint a bleak picture. CSK have conceded 250 to RCB at the Chinnaswamy, been bowled out for just 127 against Rajasthan Royals in their opener, and failed to defend 209 against Punjab Kings at their own Chepauk fortress. Three games, three losses, zero points, rock bottom of the table.
Gaikwad's captaincy record now reads eight wins from 20 matches. He has lost six straight IPL games dating back to last season. The last time CSK started with back-to-back defeats was under Ravindra Jadeja in 2022, and that campaign very nearly cost the franchise a playoff spot. An 0-3 start is uncharted territory for a franchise that has won five titles.
The bowling keeps letting them down
At the heart of CSK's problems is their bowling. Against Punjab, they posted a competitive 209 for 5 and still lost by five wickets. Priyansh Arya tore into them, and Gaikwad admitted afterwards that his bowlers "couldn't build pressure with the ball." Against RCB on Sunday, Tim David and Rajat Patidar scored 99 off 35 balls in an unbroken stand that pushed the total to 250. Jamie Overton went for 30 in a single over. That is not unlucky. That is a plan that is not working.
CSK's bowling unit does not have an obvious enforcer. Without MS Dhoni behind the stumps to marshal the attack, the bowlers look directionless at times. Dhoni's calf injury has kept him out since before the season started, and there is no confirmed timeline for his return.
Samson has gone cold
The 18-crore acquisition of Sanju Samson was supposed to solve CSK's batting problems. The T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament arrived in Chennai with a reputation that demanded results. Three innings in, he has scores of 6, 7 and 9. Jacob Duffy dismissed him cheaply on Sunday, and the Chinnaswamy crowd barely had time to notice he was at the crease.
It is too early to write Samson off. He has done this before, started slowly in an IPL season and then produced match-winning knocks later. But CSK cannot afford to keep waiting. Every game without a big Samson performance puts more pressure on a middle order that has struggled to compensate.
Gaikwad's response matters now
After the Punjab defeat, Gaikwad said of his young players: "You've to allow them to make mistakes." That is a reasonable philosophy in a league season that stretches across two months. But patience only works if the captain is also adapting, and the tactical criticism has been sharp. Former India cricketers have questioned his field placements, his bowling changes, and his inability to stem the flow of runs during key overs.
CSK are not a franchise that panics. They did not panic when Jadeja's captaincy stumbled in 2022, and they found a way back then. But something has to change, because the same game plan has produced the same result three times running.
The defending champions RCB looked every bit a side that knows how to win when it matters on Sunday. CSK, right now, look like a team still searching for an identity. If they do not find one quickly, the gap to the top four will become unbridgeable.
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