Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have lost their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to injury. The 5-time champions weren’t having the best of times in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, having lost four of their five matches. And this makes things much worse for them.
MS Dhoni has been named the replacement captain, but he and the CSK management have a huge task at hand. The first thing they’ll have to do is rethink their batting order. Gaikwad, who was playing at number three due to the weak middle order, isn’t there anymore. Therefore, CSK needs someone to replace him.
Why CSK played Rahul Tripathi
Gaikwad was supposed to be the batting engine. In an ideal scenario, the whole team was to bat around him. That is why CSK tried Rahul Tripathi as the opener, who is Rachin Ravindra. The 34-year-old batted thrice but couldn’t make an impact, scoring just 30 runs in 3 matches, and was dropped.
But that was the plan. CSK had realised they needed to utilise the powerplay. That’s why they decided to bring Tripathi in. They have let go of the plan, and Devon Conway was brought in. However, with Gaikwad out, they might go back to that plan again.
Prithvi Shaw’s powerplay impact, needed
Conway can be the anchor and the engine of the batting unit. But instead of Tripathi returning to the CSK playing XI, they can replace Gaikwad with someone like Prithvi Shaw. The 26-year-old had gone unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction rather shockingly.
There have been some issues regarding his fitness and work ethic. But just as far as talent and potency as an opener go in T20s, he’s right up there. Also, because Conway or Rachin aren’t that quick starters, you need someone who can race off the blocks. Tripathi wasn’t able to do that, but Prithvi can.
In fact, the opener from Mumbai is someone who’s scored 71% of his runs in the powerplay itself. Prithvi’s strike rate is rapid, and he’s a known boundary hitter. He can open alongside Rachin, and then Conway can move down the order to number three. This way, CSK will get what they wanted to start with.
Prithvi Shaw IPL stats
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | Highest Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 79 | 1892 | 23.94 | 147.46 | 14 | 99 |
| Powerplay | 79 | 1347 | 25.90 | 146.57 | – | 48 |
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