CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad described the win over Kolkata Knight Riders as a much-needed relief after a challenging phase in the ongoing IPL 2026 season.
He acknowledged that the pressure of poor form had begun to impact his batting mindset, but said the latest victory helped him regain calm and confidence.
Gaikwad expressed optimism about returning to form and said a big individual score is coming soon, while crediting his teammates for stepping up and easing the burden on him in the meantime.
The CSK captain has had a difficult start to the season, scoring just 63 runs in five innings at an average of 12.60 and a strike rate of 105.0, with scores of 6, 28, 7, 15 and 7, as he continues to search for rhythm at the top of the order.
Chennai Super Kings secured a commanding 32-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on Tuesday. KKR is still winless, having lost four and one no result, sitting at the bottom of the table. CSK has climbed to eighth spot in the points table, with four points after this win.
"I think, good to be on the winning side after a long time. I felt it was getting into my head even when I was batting, but after the last game, I felt a bit relaxed. I feel I'm feeling really good. Just make sure that you do whatever the team needs, whatever the situation needs. And I feel even mentally, I'm feeling really well, feeling positive, and just a big, a big knock is just around the corner, but as long as the other guys are just covering up for me, definitely I'll do it when it's needed," Gaikwad said after the match.
Gaikwad expressed his immense satisfaction with CSK's performance after successfully defending 192 against the KKR. Gaikwad also felt that the key to victory was a strong bowling power play, followed by maintaining control of the required run rate throughout the innings.
"Definitely feeling good, to be honest. I think again, we defended a good score. I felt it was a par score, given that the wicket drastically changed after the first seven or eight overs. It started spinning a bit, it started stopping a bit. We were first looking at 220, 210, but then, we thought anything around 190, 180 would be a good score, and I think after that, we just had to get a good power play in bowling. After that, it was just about maintaining that run rate," he added.
Gaikwad praised his CSK's improved bowling unit after their win over the Kolkata Knight Riders. He said the bowling combinations are starting to settle, with players clearly understanding their roles, lengths, and match-ups, which is helping the attack become more effective over time.
Gaikwad felt the unit is steadily improving and adapting well to match situations. He also explained tactical decisions, including the use of spinners like Noor Ahmad when needed, while noting that plans shifted as the situation evolved.
"Bowling combination was good. Slowly, slowly, it's starting to come together, I feel. Everyone kind of knows what their role is, which overs, what to bowl, and what lengths to bowl at. So I think they are adjusting and adapting really well according to what the team needs. As I said, slowly, slowly, we are getting better and better. And that's a good sign for us. We wanted to kind of use Noor if we were short in padding, but we thought that we had it covered, and Akhil coming in the second innings, more of a power play bowler," he concluded.
Coming to the match, asked to bat first, CSK posted 192/5 in 20 overs, powered by key contributions from Samson (48 off 32, 4 fours and 3 sixes) and Brevis (41 off 29, 4 fours and 2 sixes), while Kartik Tyagi impressed with figures of 2/35.
In reply, KKR were reduced to 29/2 but fought back through a 50-run stand between skipper Rahane (28 off 22) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (27 off 19). However, a decisive spell from Noor Ahmad triggered a collapse as KKR slumped to 90/6 and eventually finished at 160/7.
(With inputs from ANI)