The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set to lock horns with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2026 match on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Ahead of the match, CSK`s skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad stated that it is necessary to allow the inexperienced players to make mistakes. He also said management needs to ensure they are in a good headspace.
“Not forcing it [captaincy], to be honest. Looking at this team now, it is a very young team. The excitement is there but at the same time, there`s a lot of difference between experienced players and inexperienced players. So, you have to allow them to make mistakes. You have to allow them to express themselves. You have to make sure that they are in a good headspace,” he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
The Super Kings suffered a loss by eight wickets in their first match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Despite the loss, the skipper was not fussed and said that the players need to embrace the opportunity to play for Chennai and try giving their best for the team.
“I mean, [there is pressure to perform] from families, from the media, from team members, everyone [in the IPL]. So to cope with that and to just get into that IPL performance mode, sometimes it takes time. You try and share your experience with them, [but] it should not make them cautious. It should not make them go into a negative frame of mind. Making their debut for a franchise like CSK – it is a huge achievement for them. So, first thing is to enjoy it, embrace it and give your best, whatever it is there. If it happens, well and good; even if it does not happen, it is still a long journey for them,” said Gaikwad.
“They are still at the start of their careers. It is just about managing what are their strengths, and just navigating them to be fearless and not have any doubts about it,” he signed off.
IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings: Full Squads
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
(With ANI Inputs)
