The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has already entered its third matchweek; however, five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are yet to open their account in the tournament. The Men in Yellow have been struggling with form since last season. They finished at the bottom of the table with 10 losses, and now they are in a similar position.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has been criticised by former cricketers and cricketing pundits. Now, former CSK pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji has lashed out at the Super Kings skipper for not using the English all-rounder Jamie Overton properly in the last game against the reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), as Overton bowled two overs for 12 runs and picked up a wicket and then not using him.
Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed for not using Jamie Overton wisely
Jamie Overton, when he came back towards the business end of the innings, went for 30 runs in the 19th over with Tim David smacking him four sixes in one over and changing the course of the match completely. Overton went for 42 off his three overs, with 30 coming of the last over.
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Balaji, while speaking on Subramanium Badrinath’s channel, said not to bowl Overton in death and also play Akeal Hosein in the CSK 11 instead of Prashant Veer as the latter has not been doing bowling and also pointed out that CSK have problems in every department.
Akeal Hosein must play instead- Lakshmipathy Balaji
The former pacer said, “A good captain will finish his secondary bowlers when it’s going well. That will save 20 runs in the end. Like Overton, when you give just 13 off 2 overs, what’s the use of coming back later and giving 40 in the other two?”
“He should have finished his four when he was bowling well. Is Overton going to win you a game with four or five wickets in the death overs? Akeal Hosein must play instead of Prashant Veer. It’s about him. This is the place for him in the 11.”
“Just don’t bowl Overton in the death. The match will be over there itself. But at the moment, it feels like CSK have issues in every department from top to middle order to spin and pace bowling, along with captaincy,” he said.
You don’t need some big coach- Former CSK batter slams management
Former batter S Badrinath also slammed the CSK management for picking Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for a whopping price of INR 14.20 crore each. They have drastically failed to impress in the IPL due to their high price pressure.
“Picking Karthik Sharma and Prashant Veer for 14 crores isn’t the players’ fault. It is the franchise’s mistake. You don’t need some big coach or analyst to pick these two at 14 crores. It’s when you pick these players at 50 Lakhs that you showcase your skill in this. So this is the management’s fault, not the players’,” said Badrinath.
The Men in Yellow will be facing the Delhi Capitals in their next game tomorrow at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, and will look to find their way to win their first match of the IPL 2026.
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