CSK vs KKR, IPL 2025: Who Will Replace Ruturaj Gaikwad in Chennai Super Kings 11 Against Kolkata Knight Riders?

Add as a preferred source on Google

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a huge blow on the eve of their IPL 2025 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday (April 11) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai after it was confirmed that skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will miss the remainder of the season.

Gaikwad has been ruled out for rest of the ongoing IPL season due to a fracture in his elbow, sustainded during CSK's earlier fixture against Rajasthan Royals when he copped a blow to his unprotected arm off the bowling of RR's Tushar Deshpande.

The 28-year-old, who had remained doubful in the next match after he suffered the injury, did feature for CSK, leading the team against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, on Thursday (April 10), the Maharashtra captain's season was cut short as confirmed by CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.

CSK would have hoped to have their skipper in charge as they look to bounce back from losing four of their five matches so far this season, but will have to make do without him as a captain and batter. While they have a good replacement to lead the side in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK will struggle to find a good replacement to fill the batter's role.

Since 2021, Gaikwad is the leading run-scorer for CSK, having amassed 2298 runs in 64 innings. Even in the ongoing season, he may have struggled for runs, but he was the most trusted batter for the team. So, it will be a big task for CSK to fill his void.

How will CSK cope with his loss in terms of the batting department? Do they have readymade replacements for their batting maestro? Find the details about the batting options available for CSK vs KKR:

Who will replace Ruturaj Gaikwad in Chennai Super Kings 11 against Kolkata Knight Riders?

While they will search for external replacement to fill in the void in the squad, CSK has four options in their current group to take Gaikwad's spot in the playing 11 against KKR on Friday (April 11).

Rahul Tripathi, who featured for most part of his career in the top three, is expected to take the spot of his state teammate. Although he has failed to impress in the opening three matches for CSK, Tripathi will be the choice alongside Deepak Hooda if they look for someone experienced.

CSK also have a set of young players who could come into the side with the likes of Shaik Rasheed, Andre Siddharth and wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi to call upon if needed as CSK push to turnaround their season after losing four games in a row.