Who knows how badly things could have gone for CSK had it not been for their captain? Gaikwad's fifth 50-plus score of the season was the only one of note and clarity. It also continued his remarkable scoring streak at Chepauk, where he now has 396 runs, the most by any CSK batsman at home in an IPL season. The previous best was Devon Conway's 390 in 2023, and Gaikwad has one more knock at home in the regular season to add to that accolade.
The first 30 of his 62 came in the opening stand with Rahane, but their demise triggered a mini-collapse at 70 for 3. Gaikwad's last 17 runs came from just nine deliveries, including a 44-ball half-century in the first six of the innings, closely followed by a second.
With the bowling options looking a little thin with Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande out through injury and illness, and Mustafizur Rahman now back in Bangladesh, Gaikwad and the CSK management have plenty to think about. Fortunately, the captain's form isn't an issue, although he would almost certainly give up his newly acquired orange cap if it meant winning the toss.