Ruturaj Gaikwad’s honest take on CSK’s young batting line-up after opening defeat in IPL 2026, says ‘They will…

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has backed his young batting line-up to improve as the season progresses after his side faltered against Rajasthan Royals in their opening match of the 2026 IPL.

CSK were bowled out for 127 by Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, as they slumped to an eight-wicket loss.

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“The wicket was slightly tougher, and we had to bat first, put up a score, and they had two really good new-ball bowlers. So that really put us on the back foot. In T20 games, we are not really used to playing on such pitches.”

“So maybe we don’t actually have that experience where players will adapt and play accordingly. But it’s a new group, a new batch, so you know they will learn slowly. The more games they get, they will get better and better,” said Gaikwad in the pre-match press conference.

Gaikwad on Chepauk conditions

Gaikwad also felt conditions at Chepauk could vary depending on the weather, with dew and moisture likely to affect the pitch at night, especially after pitches during the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup turned out to be batting-friendly.

“Regarding pitches, a lot depends here on the weather. And whatever World Cup games happened, they happened in February. So not much of dew. With the best weather and best conditions, usually the Chennai wicket plays really well.

“But, at night, sometimes, if there is excessive dew and a bit more moisture in the wicket, it tends to change a bit, especially the second half of the innings. So, not really sure about how it will go this year. We have to adapt accordingly and take the experience. We have seven games, and hopefully, whatever the pitch, we will try to make use of however much ever we can,” he said.

Confidence in young batters

If the pitch is indeed on the flatter side, Gaikwad stated that young batter Kartik Sharma, who scored 18 from 15 balls on his IPL debut, can come good.

“Well, really confident with what skill set we have. Kartik is someone who has a really good six-hitting ability. I have not seen many right-handers who have that six-hitting ability. So he is one of the greatest additions to our squad.

“Even Urvil Patel, who has a brilliant T20 record. Sarfaraz Khan is coming in with good recent T20 form as well. We have Prashant Veer, who is still young and is finding his rhythm in the T20 format, but has exceptional skills. So, I think the skills are there.

“In IPL, there is a lot of pressure from families, media, team members, everyone. So, to cope with that and to just get into that IPL performance mode, it takes time. It is about giving them time. When this batting lineup starts clicking, I think that is the one to look up,” he concluded.