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Former Team India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath issued a warning to the current CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the IPL 2027 season. The former cricketer predicted that the upcoming season could be Gaikwad's last season as the skipper of they fails to perform well again.
In the previous season, under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the team finished eighth in the points table despite having a prolific batter like Sanju Samson at the top of the batting order.
A new era for CSK is about to start
In search of the golden days, CSK, five-time League winners, have been doing a lot of chopping and changing, including appointing a fresh set of coaches. IPL 2027 will mark a new era for the Chennai Super Kings with their newly appointed head coach Zaheer Khan, replacing their long-time aide Stephen Fleming.
Subramaniam Badrinath, in his YouTube video, mentioned that as a captain of the team, Ruturaj Gaikwad might not have enough input behind the recent changes in the set-up.
S Badrinath issues a warning to Ruturaj Gaikwad
The former cricketer reckoned that the officials of the franchise may want to see the chemistry between the captain and the newly appointed coach.
If the pair of Zaheer and Ruturaj does not work well, then the team management could take a call on the skipper, as he has had ample matches to prove his leadership skills.
"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 in a video on his YouTube channel.
The team management positioned Ruturaj Gaikwad as the successor to their legendary captain MS Dhoni. In his early days as the CSK leader, Gaikwad got the support of Dhoni on the ground. But so far, the batter is yet to prove himself as an individual performer and as the leader of the team.
According to the stats, Ruturaj Gaikwad has captained Chennai Super Kings in 33 matches and got wins in only 14 and defeats in 19, which makes his win percentage 42.42, not enough to justify the legacy of the franchise.
A few other players also may have to prove themselves
Not only Gaikwad, Subramaniam Badrinath felt that the upcoming season is going to be crucial for the other cricketers like Shivam Dube and Samson.
"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," the former cricketer added.
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