Fifty off 49: Why Ruturaj Gaikwad's knock hurt CSK more than it helped

At a time when teams are crossing 200 regularly and openers are striking at 180, 190 and even above, Ruturaj Gaikwad took 49 balls to reach his fifty against Gujarat Titans at Chepauk in IPL 2026 game on Sunday. It became one of the slowest fifties for Chennai Super Kings in IPL history and the slowest in the Impact Player era since 2023.

Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 74 off 60 balls. A 74 not out can be valuable, or it can be the reason your team ends up 30 runs short. On Sunday at Chepauk, Gaikwad’s unbeaten 74 balls belonged firmly in the second category. Gaikwad’s IPL career strike rate is 136.24. This season, it has dropped further to 121.08.

Yes, wickets kept falling around him. But in T20 cricket, survival alone is not enough. You are expected to control the game by attacking bowlers, not just stay till the end.

This is where Gaikwad's innings becomes a problem.

Because in T20s now, where teams are regularly making 200-plus, and openers are scoring at strike rates of 180 and 190, a 49-ball fifty from an opener is not acceptable.

This is not about disrespecting difficult conditions. The Chepauk pitch had some help for bowlers. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada used it well with the new ball. Strokeplay was not easy and batters had to adjust.

But adjustment and shutdown are two different things.

CSK lost wickets in powerplay. Sanju Samson made 11. Urvil Patel made 4. Sarfaraz Khan got out for 0. Dewald Brevis made 2.

This is usually the point where the “anchor” argument enters: someone must stabilise the innings. But stabilisation in T20 is not the same as in ODIs. You do not have 50 overs to recover. If your response to early wickets is to reduce risk so much that run-scoring stops, the opposition has already won the game.

Gaikwad went into surrender mode and the CSK innings slowed down. CSK reached 50 only in the 12th over. Read that again. Fifty runs in 12 overs in an IPL season where 250 is no longer enough, PBKS showed it just on Saturday.

T20 cricket has changed. The role of the batter is no longer just to stay in and bat deep. It is to control tempo, force bowling changes, and make every ball count. Across the IPL, teams are winning games because their top-order batters are attacking and pushing the game forward. If your opener is still playing as if preservation is the first priority, the team is already chasing the game.

Slowest IPL 50s for CSK in IPL

• 53 P Patel vs PBKS Chennai 2010