New DelhiRuturaj Gaikwad, captain of the Chennai Super Kings, does not feel "frustrated at all" despite being crushed by the Rajasthan Royals in their 2026 opener. At the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, the Royals launched the five-time champions. CSK was dismissed for just 127, and they might have been dismissed for less than 100 if No. 8 Jamie Overton hadn't scored those 43 runs.
With just 12.1 overs and eight wickets remaining in their reply, the Royals achieved their greatest IPL victory in terms of balls remaining. Gaikwad reasoned that his team's failure in Guwahati was primarily due to the sticky conditions available. The conditions appeared sticky due to the rain that fell before the game, but CSK's batting performance was still subpar.
After the defeat, Gaikwad speaks to broadcastersGaikwad, the captain of CSK, discussed the defeat with the broadcasters. “Frustrated?) Honestly, not much. After the defeat, Gaikwad remarked, "I felt the conditions at the beginning were really tough, especially when facing Jofra and Burger."
"They bowled great lengths, and even after that, it was a little hard for a medium-pacer. You could tell that even the spinners were getting help. Yes, we would have been better at batting. We could have taken the game deep and shown off our batting skills, maybe even to 150–160. You just have to keep going, though, because you never know what a good score is these days. I think it was just one of those days when the wicket was a little bit harder. So not frustrated at all," he added.
"Good to start with a lot of mistakes," Gaikwad said.The CSK captain also said that he and his team will try to forget about this game and only get better from here. "Just forget about it and go on. In three days, we'll have a game. Check that everyone is in a good mood. One good thing is that there are a lot of young people in the group. So, probably a nervy start for everyone, but good to get a game behind and good to start with a lot of mistakes. After this, things should get better, I hope. I'm someone who's not a firm believer in going all the way," he said.
However, you never truly know what a good score or par score is when it comes to impact players. Therefore, when you're defending 150, 160, or 170, you don't really see games going down the line until the 20th over. Therefore, I believe it's simply a matter of supporting your own game for the batsmen. Just be sure to take advantage of it if it's available in your area. Although it didn't work today, we can improve our batsmanship. You just have to be positive, especially when you're batting first. If conditions are good, you never know, the same batting line-up can put a good score," Gaikwad added.
Next up for CSK is PBKS.After a disappointing start, CSK will try to quickly recover as they get ready for their next IPL 2026 match. The Punjab Kings, their next opponents, have a well-rounded team and potent hitters who can take advantage of any weakness. Both CSK's bowling unit and hitters would need to step up and make early progress. The fixture will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, April 3.