Kamal Ghorui
Chennai Super Kings have had a difficult beginning to their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign, managing just two wins from their first six matches and slipping to seventh on the points table. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has faced growing criticism, not only for the team’s results but also for his own struggles with the bat. Across six innings, he has scored only 82 runs at an average of 13.67 and a strike rate of 112.33, numbers that reflect his dip in form. However, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the responsibility cannot rest solely on the young skipper. Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, he pointed towards the decision-makers behind the scenes. “This blame, I’m going to put at the doorstep of the owners and people who make the big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he was captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order,” Manjrekar said. He also suggested that the constant spotlight around MS Dhoni has complicated matters for Gaikwad. “And then that thing with M.S Dhoni, whether he’s going to be playing, whether he’s going to be captain, they handled that very badly. And this is where you see the sycophancy of Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, there isn’t just a fan following of Dhoni, there is sycophancy around it,” he added. Manjrekar backed his point by recalling a past moment involving Dhoni that drew a strong reaction from fans. “There was [this] one instance of Dhoni trying to put his bat into the crease, and it was a very close call. And I said, well, he is clearly short of the crease, and it should be run out. They [fans] got angry with me for saying that because it was anti-Dhoni. So somewhere they lost sight of the whole picture.” Dhoni, meanwhile, has not played any part in IPL 2026 so far after sustaining a calf strain ahead of the season. When asked whether his return could ease the pressure on Gaikwad, Manjrekar appeared uncertain, raising questions about how the veteran would fit into the current setup. “Maybe, but then you have to play Dhoni on the field. And how do you do that? I mean, increasingly, he’s finding it tough to deliver. So it was a bit of a joke when he used to come down the order and just play three or four balls. The coverage would hype that up as well – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted four balls. “So that’s not feasible anymore, and it was never going to be a long-term thing. So I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when M.S. was on the field, but not captaining, as opposed to M.S. not being there and he being solely in charge,” he said. The former cricketer also broadened the discussion, comparing CSK’s approach with that of Mumbai Indians, suggesting both franchises can be overly attached to established stars. “CSK and Mumbai Indians are slightly guilty of being emotionally connected and invested in the big-name, big-brand players a bit too much. CSK even more so with Dhoni. This means that you’re not getting people who are in their prime. It’s like living in the past a little bit. It’s just about getting guys who are in their prime in T20 cricket. It’s such a modern-day format, so it’s best to be current with everything that you do with your team,” Manjrekar added.
