Ruturaj Dashrat Gaikwad is an Indian cricketer who currently plays for Maharashtra in domestic cricket and the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In July 2021, he made his international debut for India. In the 2021 Indian Premier League, he was the tournament’s highest run-scorer. In the Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2021, he captained Maharashtra in T20.

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Gaikwad, a child prodigy, advanced through the Maharashtra age group system and the Dilip Vengsarkar cricket academy. He progressively improved and earned his Maharashtra Ranji Trophy and T20 debuts in the 2016-17 season. Ruturaj emerged into the forefront in 2016-17, finishing third in the Vijay Hazare tournament, his maiden List-A competition. His ability to play risk-free and flowing cricket strokes while scoring at a high rate impressed out. In June 2019, he struck 187 while playing for India A against Sri Lanka A, earning him the man of the match award.

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Gaikwad was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League in December 2018.

Gaikwad got his first IPL century against the Rajasthan Royals on October 2, 2021, with 101 not out. On 15 October, Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in the finals, with Gaikwad adding 32 runs off 27 balls to CSK’s total. He was given the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs (635) in the 2021 competition, as well as Emerging Player of the Year.

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Gaikwad was retained by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 6 crores ahead of the 2022 IPL auction due to his strong performances in the 2021 season.

Gaikwad describes himself as a gap-oriented player, and the one-day format fits him better than the Test and T20 formats. He prefers to hit perimeter shots and is not known for his ability to hit huge shots.