Ruturaj Gaikwad is a young and talented cricketer from India who has made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was born on January 31, 1997, in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He is a right-handed top-order batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper.
Early Career:
Gaikwad started playing cricket at a young age and trained under the guidance of his father. He first came into the limelight when he scored a century in the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy. In 2016, he was selected to play for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy. In his debut season, he scored 444 runs in 8 matches, which included two centuries and two fifties.
IPL Career:
Gaikwad's IPL journey began in 2019 when he was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise for his base price of INR 20 lakhs. However, he did not get to play a single game that season. It was only in 2020 that he got an opportunity to showcase his talent in the IPL.
2020 IPL Season:
In the 2020 season, Gaikwad made his debut for CSK against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, he had a tough start to his IPL career as he was dismissed for a duck in his first match. He got another chance in the next game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and scored just 5 runs.
However, Gaikwad did not lose hope and continued to work hard on his game. He got another opportunity in the latter half of the tournament when the CSK team was already out of the playoff race. In the match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Gaikwad scored an impressive 72 off 53 balls and helped his team win the game.
He followed it up with an unbeaten 65 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and another unbeaten 62 against the Kings XI Punjab in the last league game of the season. These performances earned him the player of the match award in all three games.
2021 IPL Season:
In the 2021 season, Gaikwad had a much better start to his IPL campaign. He was promoted to open the innings and he repaid the faith shown in him by the CSK management. He scored 196 runs in the first six matches of the season, which included three half-centuries.
In the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he scored a match-winning 64 off 42 balls and helped his team chase down a target of 221 runs. In the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he scored 33 off 25 balls and helped his team chase down a target of 157 runs.
Gaikwad's form dipped in the middle of the tournament as he scored just 55 runs in the next six matches. However, he bounced back strongly in the last three games of the season. He scored an unbeaten 62 against the Delhi Capitals and followed it up with an unbeaten 75 against the Mumbai Indians. In the last league game of the season, he scored 38 off 28 balls against the Punjab Kings.
Overall, Gaikwad scored 635 runs in 24 matches at an average of 33.42 and a strike rate of 129.33 in his IPL career so far. He has scored four half-centuries and two scores above 70.
Style of Play:
Gaikwad is an elegant batsman who relies on timing and placement rather than power. He has a compact technique and plays all around the ground. He is particularly strong against spin bowling and has the.
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