Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has slammed Shivam Dube for his mundane performances in the ongoing IPL 2026. Dube scored 22 runs off 17 balls against Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.
In fact, Dube was dropped thrice during his short stay at the crease on 6, 11 and 22. He was eventually cleaned up by left-arm seamer Arshad Khan.
Dube has managed only 150 runs in eight matches at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 140.18 in the ongoing IPL 2026 and thus he has struggled to carry his T20 World Cup form.
Badrinath said on his YouTube Channel, “CSK’s middle-order muddle has been highly concerning. Shivam Dube has been a big letdown. Bowlers are bowling too easily to him. He is getting enough opportunities up the order. CSK is trusting Dube, but he’s not able to deliver. Oppositions are working him out with ease, and he has no clue how to combat them.”
On the other hand, Badrinath defended Kartik Sharma’s performances. The right-hander has managed 58 runs in five matches so far. The former CSK batter though questioned CSK’s management for spending the huge amount of INR 14.20 crore on Kartik Sharma
“We can’t question him. The management that signed him for 14.50 crores needs to be questioned, though. In fact, he is a good player if you picked him for 50 Lakhs or one crore. He would have probably performed better also with the lower price,” said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).
Badrinath added that CSK were not able to buy bonafide bowlers or hitters after spending INR 28.40 crore on Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.
“By signing these two for 29 crores, you were not able to pick other bona fide players, especially bowlers or hitters. The management got stuck by paying these two such a high price,” said Badrinath.
Chennai Super Kings will next take on Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium on Saturday.
