IPL 2026: 'Waving his arms all the time' - Michael Vaughan raises questions on CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad

Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan has put Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy under the scanner after their 43-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

RCB scored a mammoth 250/3 against a Chennai side which looked toothless on occasions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. CSK have lost all three games they have played so far, with significant failures with the ball and at the top of the order.

Vaughan has called out the CSK team and the captain for looking devoid of ideas and lacking variety in their bowling attack.

“Teams struggling like CSK are all running around in the field. They are clueless about where to be. The captain is waving his arms all the time. They've got some players that aren't fiery. Their bowling attack will travel because it lacks mystery,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

CSK won titles under MS Dhoni, who has missed the first few games with injury, and is expected to return to the team soon. Ruturaj took over from Dhoni in the 2024 season after the team's title-winning campaign in 2023.

Dhoni’s status and reputation as a captain and player are known, which the former England skipper referred to as the point of difference between the CSK of old and their current iteration. 

“When they've been winning this tournament, they've had the greatest captain that's ever played T20 cricket [Dhoni] behind the stumps. He waved his paddles around and then went in at No.6 or 7 and won games of cricket. Their bowling is the real concern, and hence the struggles of the top three,” he added.

Chennai made waves ahead of the 2026 season when Sanju Samson was traded in from the Rajasthan Royals in exchange of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. CSK also signed youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for INR 14.20 crore each in the auction, adding to a young core with the likes of Noor Ahmad, Dewald Brevis, Anshul Kamboj and Ayush Mhatre.

Vaughan expressed disbelief over CSK letting Jadeja go, as his experience would have been vital in helping groom the younger players and in performing with the ball.

"It's surprising they allowed Jadeja to go to RR. Jadeja offers you so much with his experience. He is a big loss in terms of experience for that group. When you are trying to bring in younger players, you need real core experience. You can't just have core experience with the bat. You need it with the ball as well, and someone like Jadeja is a big loss in the group," said Vaughan.

Chennai Super Kings take on the Delhi Capitals in their next match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 11.