New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) After Chennai Super Kings slumped to their third consecutive loss in the IPL 2026, former South Africa batter Faf du Plessis rallied behind skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad to become a better player and a leader after going through hardships.

Sunday’s loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was Gaikwad’s seventh consecutive loss as a CSK captain. He joined RCB star Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh in this unwanted list. While Kohli lost across the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons as the RCB captain, Yuvraj lost in 2013 with the (now defunct) Pune Warriors India.

“It is not easy as a young captain to suffer back-to-back defeats. Not performing yourself makes things even more difficult as a player. What he will experience right now is the weight of pressure. Expectation when you put on a yellow shirt comes at a cost. The fans expect good performances.

“They expect the team to be in the semi-finals and finals and to win trophies. So, for him, it is just a case of dealing with that early in his captaincy career. Every good captain has to go through this in their career,” Du Plessis said on JioStar.

“They have to get stronger. They have to get a thick skin. You have to understand that this could potentially make him a better leader. He has a good head on his shoulders. He has a great support staff around him. He has a great leader in MS Dhoni, who will soon come back into the fold. So, all the things are there to help him. This will make him stronger as a captain. He will become a better player and leader by going through these hardships,” he added.

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will next take on Delhi Capitals on April 11 in Chennai.

–IANS

bc/