'This was a very important innings' - Kartik Sharma receives massive praise from Pujara after unbeaten half-century in CSK vs MI

Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has forwarded massive praise on Kartik Sharma after his unbeaten half-century helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) complete a comprehensive victory against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, May 02.

Pujara believes that the 20-year-old has done complete justice to the trust put in him by the Super Kings' management ahead of the season, as they bought him for a whopping sum of INR 14.20 crore in the mini-auction. Kartik, who made 54* off 40 against MI, was given the task of forming an important partnership alongside skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and came good in a pressure situation.

“This was a very important innings for young Kartik Sharma. CSK have shown a lot of faith in him and given him multiple opportunities. This match against Mumbai was the perfect stage for him to deliver and repay that trust. He did exactly that," Pujara said after the match on Saturday via JioStar.

"On a difficult pitch where spin was expected to dominate the middle overs, CSK needed an Indian batter to partner Ruturaj. Kartik stepped up and took that responsibility well. I am really happy for him because he had not been scoring runs, and there was a lot of talk about his potential. Finally, that trust has paid off for CSK,” he added.

Notably, Kartik's knock has also helped CSK solidify their chances of qualifying for the playoffs of IPL 2026. Their win against MI has boosted their chances to finish in the top four massively. In the next five matches remaining, the franchise needs to ensure wins on at least four occasions to give themselves a real opportunity of making it through to the business end of the tournament. They currently have eight points on the points table after four wins in nine matches.