CSK’s IPL 2026 season has ended. The team faced several injury concerns right from the start that troubled them till the end of the league stage. Moreover, their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also failed to step up. They finished with 12 points from 14 games. However, former player S Badrinath, who has played for CSK, said the team needs to have a new captain next season as well.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad should not lead CSK,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel. “It should be Sanju Samson who should lead them. Ruturaj the batter is too important for CSK. His batting is more important than his captaincy because, anyway, Sanju Samson is a better captain than him. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a phenomenal T20 batter and has done extraordinary things for CSK.”

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“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter. It won’t be a harsh decision if he is stripped of captaincy. It’s more beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good. This is not new only to him. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. If you are someone who is intense and thinks too much, it’s hard to detach from captaincy even while batting,” he added again.

He also added that the balance between batting and captaincy is not easy as well.

“Not everyone can have the clarity to compartmentalize between the roles. Dhoni always had it from the start, and Rohit Sharma was naturally born with it. Even Virat Kohli is not leading RCB, and Patidar is doing it superbly while Kohli remains one of the best T20 batters in the world. So a switch in captaincy can make a big difference,” again said S Badrinath.