Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t mince words after his team’s six-run loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2025 clash on Sunday night at Barsapara Stadium.

Chasing 183, CSK fell short at 176/6, marking their second straight defeat and exposing early-season cracks. “Unfortunately, we’ve not been getting good starts,” Gaikwad admitted in the post-match presser, pinpointing the powerplay as their Achilles’ heel.

RR’s Nitish Rana blazed an 81 off 36 balls to propel his side to 182/9, a total CSK struggled to chase despite Gaikwad’s gritty 63 off 44. “In their batting powerplay, Nitish batted well, and we weren’t proactive enough,” he said, noting how RR raced to 79/1 while CSK limped to 42/1 in their first six overs.

Jofra Archer’s opening wicket-maiden—dismissing Rachin Ravindra for a duck—set the tone, and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 4/35, including Gaikwad’s scalp, sealed CSK’s fate. “We were one hit away from crossing the line, but it didn’t happen,” he rued.

The skipper’s half-century kept hopes alive, but the middle order—Rahul Tripathi (23), Shivam Dube (18), and Vijay Shankar (2)—couldn’t sustain momentum.

MS Dhoni’s late 16 off 11 and Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 32 off 22 weren’t enough, with Sandeep Sharma’s nervy final over (1/42) holding firm. “The 16th and 17th overs were missed opportunities,” Gaikwad added, reflecting on the chase’s turning points.

With CSK now 1-2 after a heavy home loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gaikwad stressed urgency. “We need to address these starts—it’s costing us.” Next up, they face Delhi Capitals at home on April 5, desperate to flip the script in a season already teetering on the edge.