IPL 2026: Gaikwad takes blame for CSK's third straight loss
What's the story
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken full responsibility for his team's crushing defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. The match, played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, was CSK's seventh consecutive loss under Gaikwad's leadership. This includes defeats in CSK's first three matches this season. "If I had contributed more, maybe it could have been different. It was definitely on me today," he said after the match.
Captaincy streak
Gaikwad joins Kohli and Yuvraj on unwanted list
The loss against RCB puts Gaikwad in the same league as Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, who also suffered seven straight IPL losses as captains. Kohli had a similar run with RCB in 2018-19 seasons while Yuvraj endured it with Pune Warriors India in 2013. However, the longest losing streaks among Indian captains are still held by Sourav Ganguly and Rohit Sharma.
Performance review
CSK's losing streak under Gaikwad
Gaikwad's losing streak began in IPL 2025 with a defeat to RCB in Chennai. The poor run has continued into the start of the 2026 season, with CSK losing their first three matches. His scores in the ongoing season read 6, 28, and 7. In the latest game, CSK kept things tight for a long time but lost control at the death, conceding 97 runs in the final five overs as RCB posted a mammoth total of 250/3.
Statement
Gaikwad rues missed chances
Gaikwad rued dropping Virat Kohli's catch earlier in the innings. "If we had taken that early chance of Virat, maybe the momentum comes to us. We still had the game till the 13th or 14th over, but that's where it shifted," he added. Notably, Tim David struck 70* off 25 deliveries. In the 18th over, he was bowled off a no-ball from Anshul Kamboj. "Anshul almost got him. Unfortunate it was a no-ball, but after that he just kept hitting."
Match breakdown
How the match panned out
In the chase, CSK lost early wickets with Gaikwad and Sanju Samson falling cheaply. The middle order also collapsed, leaving the team reeling at 108/6 at the halfway mark. However, some resistance came from the lower order with Sarfaraz Khan scoring a brisk half-century, while Prashant Veer scored 43 and Jamie Overton chipped in with 37 runs as CSK were bowled out for 207.