Will give him a lot of self-belief

Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath believes Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will be high on confidence after his Player of the Match performance against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 3. The stylish right-hander scored his second consecutive half-century, with an unbeaten 67 off 48 balls, to help CSK chase down 160 with ease against MI.

Gaikwad had not scored a 50 in his first seven innings of the 2026 season before turning things around with back-to-back unbeaten half-centuries. The CSK skipper has propelled his season tally to 245 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of over 125 in nine outings.

Talking about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s turnaround with the bat, Badrinath said on his YouTube channel (2:12):

“Everyone has been harsh in their criticism of Ruturaj Gaikwad, both his batting and captaincy. Though the target wasn’t high, he played extremely well. Back-to-back half-centuries and a Player of the Match award will give him a lot of self-belief. If CSK have to qualify for the playoffs and win the trophy, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the batter, is very important. As a batter, he is needed for CSK.”

Under Gaikwad, CSK have also won four of their last six matches after a 0-3 start to the season.

“CSK should have backed these two in such a match up the order” – S Badrinath on CSK’s batting order

Subramaniam Badrinath questioned CSK’s batting order despite their win over MI, calling for Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis to bat ahead of Kartik Sharma. CSK used Kartik as their Impact Sub after the fall of the second wicket in the run-chase against MI, with Dube and Brevis still in the dugout.

The youngster responded with a composed 54* off 40 deliveries, his maiden IPL half-century.

“Kartik Sharma scored a half-century and CSK won the game. But if CSK have to win several matches and win the tournament, it’s going to be Dewald Brevis who’s going to win you the tournament. It’s going to be Shivam Dube who will win you the tournament. Who will perform if you have to beat an RCB in an Eliminator? It has to be Brevis or Dube. If it’s 60 needed off 30, one of these two only has to do it. So CSK should have backed these two in such a match up the order,” said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).

Dube and Brevis have endured sub-par IPL 2026 seasons with averages of 30 and 16, respectively, and no half-centuries in 12 combined innings.