New Delhi, May 19 : Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has thrown his support behind Ruturaj Gaikwad, insisting the Chennai Super Kings skipper should not be judged solely on one challenging IPL campaign.

Finch's comments came after CSK suffered a five-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk, a result that confirmed SRH's qualification for the IPL 2026 playoffs.

"It's important not to judge a player or a captain based on just one season because T20 cricket can be extremely demanding and unpredictable," Finch said on JioHotstar.

"From a captaincy perspective, Ruturaj Gaikwad has still led the side well, especially with his decisions and composure on the field. At times, form and leadership pressure can overlap, but for him it now comes down to rediscovering his batting rhythm and getting back to scoring consistently."

"The quality is still there, and sometimes in T20 cricket, phases like these can change very quickly."

Gaikwad endured another difficult outing with the bat, scoring 15 as CSK posted 180/7 after being asked to bat first. Sanju Samson provided an explosive start with 27 off 13 balls, while Dewald Brevis top-scored with 44.

SRH captain Pat Cummins led superbly with the ball, finishing with 3/28 and reaching the milestone of 200 T20 wickets. Sakib dismissed the dangerous Urvil Patel, while both young bowlers took two wickets each to help limit Chennai to 180/7.

In reply, SRH recovered from the early dismissal of Travis Head as Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen controlled the chase with a decisive partnership. Kishan's fluent 70 and Klaasen's 47 helped SRH reach 181/5 in 19 overs.

The victory took SRH to 16 points from 13 games and secured their place in the playoffs alongside Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while CSK's rebuilding process under Gaikwad continues to remain under scrutiny.

/IANS