Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said he was “still proud of the boys” despite CSK suffering a five-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Monday.The defeat saw SRH chase down 181 in 19 overs through Ishan Kishan’s 70 off 47 balls and Heinrich Klaasen’s 47. The result also confirmed SRH’s qualification for the IPL 2026 playoffs along with Gujarat Titans.Speaking after the match, Gaikwad said CSK remained in the contest till the closing stages.“It was pretty tight right till the end. I thought, you know, a good game of cricket. Obviously, we were into the game until the second last over. And I think (it was) a good T20 pitch as well. I think it didn’t change much throughout the course of the game. And I thought 180 runs was a rounded about par score, chasing the second batting. So, a good game. Just missed out on few, but I mean, that’s okay. Still proud of the boys,” Gaikwad said.The CSK skipper felt his side failed to build pressure after taking wickets.“I think nothing actually, just cashing in on the opportunity right after you take a wicket. That’s where you want to kind of build pressure on the opposition. I think we just weren’t able be able to do that, especially after losing a wicket,” he said.Gaikwad also pointed to positives for the future despite CSK missing some key players this season.“But I think still, given the team that we had and limited squad and whatever best combinations we had, I’m still proud and I still feel we did well,” he added.(Do you think that you can still build on this team going into next year?) “Well, definitely. We are building up. I think a lot of positives, to be honest. Sanju’s addition is a great sign. He’s playing really well for us. Kartik Sharma, once again a great knock today. So, I think we are building.”Gaikwad admitted the absence of some players affected the side’s balance.“Obviously, missed out on a few players, a few key players who were part of the playing 12th. And I think after that, you have to look back and go, where can we find those exact replacements, yes or not? So obviously, it depends on a lot of factors, but still, given whatever squad we had, everyone gave their heart out today. And as I said, still proud of the boys,” he said.The CSK captain also thanked the team’s supporters after another season where the side struggled at home.(Word for the CSK fans?) “Yes, sir. The crowd, the fans that we have all around the world, they come and support us through the thick and thin. So, yes, we lost a couple of games at home, but I think, compared to last year, we were still very much better this year. And definitely coming here next year will be a much more stronger unit,” Gaikwad said.Earlier, SRH restricted CSK to 180/7 after opting to bowl. Pat Cummins picked up 3/28, while Gaikwad managed 15 off 21 balls.Sanju Samson gave CSK a quick start with boundaries against Nitish Kumar Reddy and Praful Hinge before Cummins dismissed him.Dewald Brevis scored 44 off 27 balls and added 59 runs with Shivam Dube, but CSK could not push past the 200-run mark.
