New Delhi: A deeply emotional night at the Wankhede Stadium saw Chennai Super Kings captain Rutoraj Gaikwad dedicate his side’s 103-run win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 to teammate Mukesh Chaudhary, who played despite the death of his mother recently.CSK players wore black armbands in tribute, turning a dominating performance into a poignant moment of solidarity and resilience.
‘Hate of him’: Gaikwad on Mukesh’s guts
Gaikwad was visibly moved while talking about Mukesh’s effort under difficult circumstances.“Pretty tough for him. Kudos to him, coming into that situation, it takes a lot mentally. He came back for the team, for the franchise, because he knew we needed him. All the credit to him. We all wanted to be there for him and go out for him,” he said.He reiterated the emotional weight behind the win, adding, “So tough on him (Mukesh Chowdhury), I will dedicate this win to him, all credit to him. Everyone got into it and wanted to be there for him.”Mukesh responded with a disciplined 1/31, striking early to remove Quinton de Kock and setting the tone for CSK’s dominance.
‘We are starting to click’: CSK skipper on team’s efforts
The victory itself was built on the complete performance of the team. Gaekwad revealed that the decision to bat first was a natural one.“Looks good. I was just 50-50 in the toss. My gut feeling was saying we should bat first because it was a bit green but also a bit dry. We had to guess in the first two overs. Sanju and I said it wasn’t coming well, so anywhere around 200 would be good,” he explained.That prediction proved correct when Sanju Samson scored a “magnificent” unbeaten 101 to take CSK to 207/6.“Sanju also played a brilliant innings. He has been in fantastic touch. Everyone did very well… even the 20s helped,” said Gaekwad.He also praised the bowling unit, adding, “And then Aqeel and Noor did well. Our bowling was improving from our earlier games. I think we are starting to click now.”Spinners Aqeel Hussain and Noor Ahmed took charge as Mumbai were bowled out for 104 runs.
