Chennai Super Kings has endured a poor start to IPL 2026, winning just two of its first six matches to sit seventh on the points table.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has come under scrutiny for the team’s struggles, with his own batting form also a concern. In six innings, he has managed only 82 runs.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, however, believes the CSK management must also shoulder the blame.

“This blame, I’m going to put at the doorstep of the owners and people who make the big decisions. Because Gaikwad, before he was captain, was phenomenal at the top of the order,” said Manjrekar on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.

Manjrekar added that the overwhelming fandom surrounding CSK legend M.S. Dhoni has not helped Gaikwad’s situation.

“And then that thing with M.S Dhoni, whether he’s going to be playing, whether he’s going to be captain, they handled that very badly. And this is where you see the sycophancy of Indian culture that has seeped into cricket as well. I mean, there isn’t just a fan following of Dhoni, there is sycophancy around it,” he added.

He also recalled an incident that highlighted the intensity of Dhoni’s fandom.

“There was [this] one instance of Dhoni trying to put his bat into the crease, and it was a very close call. And I said, well, he is clearly short of the crease, and it should be run out. They [fans] got angry with me for saying that because it was anti-Dhoni. So somewhere they lost sight of the whole picture.”

Dhoni has not featured for CSK in IPL 2026 after suffering a calf strain in the lead-up to the season.

When asked if Dhoni’s return could ease Gaikwad’s burden, Manjrekar expressed doubts about how CSK would accommodate him in the XI.

“Maybe, but then you have to play Dhoni on the field. And how do you do that? I mean, increasingly, he’s finding it tough to deliver. So it was a bit of a joke when he used to come down the order and just play three or four balls. The coverage would hype that up as well – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted four balls.

“So that’s not feasible anymore, and it was never going to be a long-term thing. So I can’t pretend to know how Ruturaj felt when M.S. was on the field, but not captaining, as opposed to M.S. not being there and he being solely in charge,” said Manjrekar.

Manjrekar also drew parallels between CSK and Mumbai Indians, pointing to an overreliance on big-name players.

“CSK and Mumbai Indians are slightly guilty of being emotionally connected and invested in the big-name, big-brand players a bit too much. CSK even more so with Dhoni. This means that you’re not getting people who are in their prime. It’s like living in the past a little bit. It’s just about getting guys who are in their prime in T20 cricket. It’s such a modern-day format, so it’s best to be current with everything that you do with your team,” he added.

Published on Apr 20, 2026