As Rituraj Gaikwad The former India off-spinner began to rediscover his form. Ravichandran Ashwin believes Chennai Super Kings Getting increasingly dangerous with each passing game.Gaekwad, known for his consistency in domestic and franchise cricket, endured a tough start to IPL 2026. In his first seven matches, the CSK skipper managed to score just 104 runs, with the highest score being 28. However, there were signs of change in last Sunday’s game against Gujarat Titans, where he scored an unbeaten 74 off 60 balls.
He carried that momentum into Saturday’s clash against Mumbai Indians, scoring 67 off 48 balls. His knock played a key role in CSK’s clinical all-round performance, as he m. A to complete the league double at the Chidambaram Stadium MI.Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Center Live’, Ravichandran Ashwin talked about Rutoraj Gaikwad’s return to form:“Everyone was talking about his form. This innings was a result of the last game. It was a challenging wicket, a GT game, and the time he spent in the middle and the way he played, you can’t compare him to the likes of Vibhu Suryavanshi or Abhishek Sharma. On wickets like this, you have to play like that.” With Rituraj in his conditions should play very well. Had CSK lost one or two more wickets, the pressure would have increased on their batting line-up. He took charge, and the way he played, CSK is getting more dangerous with each match,” Ashwin said.After a strong start, MI ended in a promising position at 159/7, with Naman Dhir top-scoring with 57. The middle order faltered again, unable to capitalize despite a solid platform. CSK’s bowling was led by Anshul Kamboj (3/32), while Noor Ahmed and Jamie Overton applied constant pressure in the middle overs.In reply, CSK chased down the target comfortably, thanks to an unbeaten 67 from skipper Rutoraj Gaikwad and a back-to-back 54* from Karthik Sharma. The victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium not only completed the league double over their arch-rivals but also dealt a major blow to Mumbai Indians’ play-off hopes, keeping CSK firmly in contention.
