Stephen Fleming may have publicly backed Ruturaj Gaikwad as the future captain of Chennai Super Kings, but his comments after CSK’s defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad also carried a clear message — the skipper’s batting has not been good enough in IPL 2026. CSK’s five-wicket defeat at Chepauk once again exposed the team’s biggest issue this season: a lack of intent at the top. And much of the focus fell on Gaikwad after another painfully slow innings in a must-win game. While other batters looked to attack on a decent batting surface, Gaikwad struggled badly for momentum, managing just 15 runs off 21 balls. At the end of the powerplay, he was crawling on nine from 11 deliveries despite Chennai getting quick starts from Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel. The sluggish knock hurt CSK’s momentum in the middle overs and added pressure on the rest of the batting line-up. By the time Pat Cummins dismissed him with a sharp short ball, frustration around Chepauk had already started growing. Fleming did not directly criticise his captain, but his remarks made it clear that the franchise expects far more from Gaikwad. “I think Ruturaj can do more,” Fleming admitted after the loss. “He’s done more in the past. He’s been a fine player at the top. He hasn’t produced the quantity of runs and the pace of runs (this season) that he’s done in his career. And that’s something that he will address.” For a player leading one of the biggest franchises in the league, the criticism feels unavoidable now. Modern IPL cricket demands aggressive scoring from the top order, especially during the powerplay, but Gaikwad’s approach throughout the season has often looked outdated compared to the fearless batting around the league. The timing of the innings made the scrutiny even harsher. CSK entered the match needing a win to keep their playoff hopes under control, yet their captain failed to provide urgency while SRH’s batters later chased the target with far greater clarity and aggression. Ishan Kishan led Hyderabad’s chase with a fluent 70 off 47 balls, while Heinrich Klaasen smashed 47 off just 26 deliveries as SRH reached 181 in 19 overs and officially qualified for the playoffs. In contrast, Gaikwad’s innings became symbolic of CSK’s struggles this season — cautious batting, slow starts and an inability to keep up with the pace modern T20 cricket now demands. Despite the criticism, Fleming insisted the franchise remains committed to Gaikwad as captain and urged patience during the transition away from the MS Dhoni era. “It’s a big transition from having one of the best captains [MS Dhoni] in the cricket scene running the franchise for such a long time to a new captain,” Fleming said. “So it’s going to take a little bit of time.” But with CSK now staring at a third straight season without a guaranteed playoff spot, patience among fans is beginning to wear thin. The five-time champions are still mathematically alive, but qualification now depends not only on winning their final league game, but also on favourable results elsewhere.