Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has reckoned that Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain for at least one more season. Notably, his comments came ahead of the IPL 2027 mini-auction.
CSK was recently involved in a major four-player trade deal. CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have completed a four-player trade, with Liam Livingstone and Jack Edwards moving to CSK, while Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis join SRH.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Badrinath asserted that Ruturaj didn’t have a lot of input in picking players for the squad, adding that team management would be keen to continue with him as a captain for one more season and see how it goes.
“Ruturaj will definitely continue as captain. But for a year now, he’s not had a lot of input in picking players for the squad. So maybe they will give him one more year and decide after that. They would want to see if there is a good relationship between the captain and coach, as Zaheer also comes from the West,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.
During his tenure as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad led the side in 33 matches, securing 14 victories while suffering 19 defeats. The franchise also failed to qualify for the playoffs during this period. Badrinath further pointed out that IPL 2027 would be a significant test for several senior players, including skipper Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson, among others.
“This year will be a test for many. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and even Sanju Samson. This will be an important year for all of them. They need to pull up. They are senior players. It can’t be like they will perform in one out of four games and stay as senior players. You have expectations of them. It will be a big test for all the senior players in CSK,” he noted.
