3 reasons why Ruturaj Gaikwad being ruled out of IPL 2025 is a huge blow to CSK

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a setback on Thursday evening in the middle of their disastrous IPL 2025 campaign. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury. As a result, the former captain MS Dhoni is again back as a leader for the franchise.

Gaikwad suffered a blow on his elbow during the clash against the Rajasthan Royals, where he hit 63 off 44 balls. However, he played two more games, returning with knocks of 5 & 1.

Ahead of CSK's clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, the scan reports confirmed Gaikwad enduring a fracture in his elbow, ruling him out of the season.

On that note, let's take a look at a few reasons why Ruturaj Gaikwad's absence will hurt CSK's campaign in IPL 2025.

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#1 CSK will miss arguably their best batter

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been CSK's finest batter since making his debut in 2020. He has garnered 2,502 runs in 70 innings at an average of 40.35, with 20 fifties and two centuries. He was the Orange Cap holder in the 2021 season, slamming 635 runs, and also helped the franchise to win their fourth IPL title.

In this edition, he had already scored two fifties and accumulated 122 runs in five appearances. Despite him returning with disappointing knocks in the last two games, he was expected to return to form and be a glue to CSK's batting unit.

Although many expected him to play as an opener, he was keen to bat at No.3 in his pursuit of steering the team in the middle overs and providing a final flourish.

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#2 Going back to MS Dhoni is not ideal for CSK's future

MS Dhoni captained CSK for 14 editions from 2008 to 2023 (excluding two seasons when they were banned) and helped the franchise lift the title five times. The tactical decisions and ability to hold his nerves in crunch moments have been a key forte of Dhoni and CSK in achieving success over the years.

However, there was a reason why Dhoni passed on the captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad after the 2023 edition. It was to build a side around an emerging player, who could be a leader for the side in the years to come. With Gaikwad suffering an injury, it is a step backward in terms of their future.

As per head coach Stephen Fleming, MS Dhoni's knees aren't fit enough to see him bat for 10-odd overs. His future as a player is uncertain, and this could be his last edition as well.

Therefore, the franchise should have opted for any other player, who has more probability of serving CSK in the next few years. It could have resulted in them building another leader in the squad, who has the experience in taking tough decisions for the franchise.

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#3 Might force CSK to bring back out-of-form Tripathi and Hooda

CSK played with Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda in the first few games of this season, due to their experience in the cash-rich league. However, the duo failed badly, as Tripathi could garner only 30 runs in three innings, while Hooda contributed only seven runs in two appearances.

With Ruturaj Gaikwad's injury, the Super Kings might be forced to include either Tripathi or Hooda in the XI, which might affect their scoring rate and the confidence of the batting line-up.

With CSK being in the ninth position in the table, they need to rack up consecutive wins on the trot to remain in the hunt for the race to the playoffs. It will be difficult for them to find a replacement as good as Gaikwad.