Chennai Super Kings fans fell silent at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday as Punjab Kings barely broke a sweat by 210 runs. A brilliant start by Priyansh Arya followed by a blistering fifty from Shreyas Iyer saw Punjab reach the target in just 18.4 overs. An exasperated Ruturaj Gaikwad threw his bowlers under the bus after the loss, saying 210 should have been enough on a pitch that caught and spun in the second innings.
Ruturaj’s analysis of the pitch was in stark contrast to Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, who called it a belter to bat. Shreyas scored 50 off 29 balls in the middle overs and dismantled Noor Ahmad and Rahul Chahar, taking away any chance Chennai had of winning the game.
“I felt it was a really good score to be honest. The wicket was, yes, it was better for the fast bowlers, but I felt it was a bit tight for the spinners, it didn’t work well for the bat. The slow ball was catching as well. So I think, you know, on this pitch, especially with, you know, big boundaries, I felt it was a really good score,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said.
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The ČSK captain endured an overall difficult evening. Ruturaj, sent in to bat first, played a stuttering knock of 28 off 22 balls and got to Yuzvendra Chahal in the 12th over. The ball he got to was pitched well down the leg side. Left alone, he could have been called a wide, but a struggling Ruturaj chased him down, hoping to put him on the stand.
As it turns out, misshapen dough can fall into even the worst deliveries. In Ruturaj’s case, his sweeper found the lone fielder at deep square leg, ending his painful innings.
However, Ruturaj claimed that he felt good during his stay and wanted to continue longer.
“I’m feeling good. You know, it’s just about adapting to the role, whatever it takes for the team. Today I felt, you know, maybe I held back a bit because the wicket was a bit tight. So I thought, you know, the set batsman Ayush is going really well. So I thought I’ll hang in there a bit and then I said you can cash in. But unfortunately the CSK skipper is out.
PUNJAB COMPLETE RUTHLESS CHASE
With just 210 runs on the board, Chennai failed to put any real pressure on the Punjab batting. Despite an early swing in the powerplay, CSK could not contain opener Priyansh Arya, who raced to 39 off 11 balls – a knock that earned him the Player of the Match award.
Ruturaj criticized his bowling attack, pointing out that loose deliveries in otherwise good overs allowed Punjab to collect boundaries and sixes with ease.
“Sometimes we executed really well. Sometimes we just didn’t execute at the right time, I would say. Just when the over was going really well, we conceded that six or a boundary either way. So I think the pressure didn’t really build. I think there was a point where it went to 11 an over and then maybe a couple of good overs from there. It would just go from 13 to 12.” didn’t get momentum in the middle,” concluded Gaikwad.
The loss against Punjab marks CSK’s sixth straight win at home. Last season they only managed one win in Chepauk, which was otherwise considered a stronghold for the side.
Chennai will play at home on April 11 against Delhi Capitals, who arrive with a strong spin-bowling attack.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
04 Apr 2026 0:01 IST
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