Ruturaj Gaikwad's savage performance silences RCB in Bengaluru as mic fails; fans split on internet

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad caused a stir on social media after making a playful jab at IPL rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore during an event in the city. Gaikwad was a guest at Bangalore's INFYusion event organized by Infosys, and when he was asked to kick off the event, he faced a hiccup when the microphone he was given malfunctioned. Taking the opportunity to lighten the mood, Gaikwad joked, "Looks like it must be an RCB fan," sparking a divided reaction from the audience with a mix of applause and playful boos.

While Gaikwad's wit impressed CSK fans, it rubbed RCB followers the wrong way. RCB and CSK share a historic rivalry – the Kaveri/Southern derby, as it is usually called – one that has produced high-voltage contests. Just this year, fans of respective franchises turned bitter towards each other when RCB knocked CSK out of IPL's Playoff contention. Ever since, there's been plenty of bad blood between RCB and CSK fans, at least on social media, and some of it was evident through the below-mentioned X posts.

This wasn't the only instance Gaikwad decided to burn RCB. Recalling his first game as captain, which happened to be against RCB, Gaikwad reminded fans who won that match. "I think, one memorable moment was – I guess not many people will like – my first match as IPL captain was against RCB and we won it. And another one was to captain MS Dhoni. So I am grateful for that," Gaikwad went on.

Gaikwad was given CSK captaincy just days before the IPL 2024 season began, with ex-captain MS Dhoni handing over the reins. Gaikwad has enjoyed a wonderful time playing the IPL, amassing 635 runs in 2021, 590 in 2023 and 583 earlier this year in IPL 2024. However, Gaikwad would have hoped for his maiden season as CSK's full-time captain to fare better, as the team narrowly missed the Playoffs.