Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has backed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, insisting that the franchise should continue with him as captain despite his recent struggles with the bat. Srikkanth believes Gaikwad’s past contributions to the five-time champions make him too valuable to release at this stage. Gaikwad endured a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, scoring 337 runs in 14 innings at an average of 28.08 and a strike rate of 123.44.
His tally included two half-centuries, with a highest score of 74 not out. His recent numbers have also raised concerns, as he managed only 459 runs across 19 matches in the last two IPL seasons. This is a significant dip for the CSK skipper, who crossed the 550-run mark in three of the four seasons between 2021 and 2024. During that period, he played an important role in the franchise’s title-winning campaigns in 2021 and 2023.
Discussing Gaikwad’s future on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka, Kris Srikkanth acknowledged that Sanju Samson’s arrival could reduce the opener’s importance in the CSK batting lineup. However, he maintained that releasing Gaikwad ahead of the upcoming season would be a mistake.
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“Why should he be released? He should surely be retained. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s importance has reduced with Sanju Samson’s arrival. But Gaikwad has done very well for CSK in the past. Yes, he has done nothing deadly in the last two years. Still, I won’t release him at this juncture. They can see to that for the mega auction next year. Now they should retain a steady team,” Kris Srikkanth said.
CSK’s struggles in IPL 2026 reflected their captain’s difficult campaign. The franchise finished eighth in the standings with six victories from 14 matches, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They had finished fifth in 2024 before ending the 2025 campaign at the bottom of the table.
Gaikwad’s captaincy has also faced scrutiny, particularly over certain tactical decisions. His handling of spin bowling attracted attention during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when he took Akeal Hosein out of the attack despite the left-arm spinner having figures of 1/21 from three overs.
Despite the criticism, Kris Srikkanth wants Gaikwad to continue leading the side in IPL 2027. He dismissed the possibility of immediately handing the captaincy to Samson, arguing that the wicketkeeper-batter has not done enough to warrant the responsibility after just one season with CSK.
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“I will also continue with Ruturaj as the captain and not change the captaincy now. Who else can CSK appoint as captain? I won’t make Sanju Samson the captain now. He has played only one season for CSK and hasn’t done anything so deadly as a captain for RR. Samson has also scored in only four innings per IPL season. So I will retain Gaikwad and continue with him as captain also,” he added.
CSK are yet to announce their retention list, with the deadline set for November 17. The IPL 2027 auction is scheduled to take place in Goa on December 16.
