Ruturaj Gaikwad Profile and Life Story:
The advent of IPL 2024 season on March 22 will be remarkable, but it's the change of captaincy in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) the day before that's truly startling. MS Dhoni passes the torch to 27-year-old star opener Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Amidst all, fans are curious about Ruturaj's personal life. Post leading CSK to victory last season, he got married. Ruturaj tied the knot with female cricketer Utkarsha Pawar – they married on June 3, 2023, in a scenic resort in Mahabaleshwar. Utkarsha plays for Maharashtra and is a right-arm medium pacer.
Father a DRDO Officer, Mother a Teacher
Ruturaj was born on January 31, 1997, in Pune, Maharashtra. His father Dasharath Gaikwad was a DRDO employee, and his mother Savita Gaikwad is a school teacher. He began his schooling at St. Joseph's School and furthered his education at the Laxmi Bai Nandgude School in Pune. Ruturaj's ancestral village is Pargaon Memane in Pune district.
Early Cricket Beginnings
Ruturaj's cricketing journey began on October 6, 2016, with Ranji Trophy. He made his debut for Maharashtra in first-class cricket. His T20 career commenced on February 2, 2017, in the Inter-State T20 Tournament. His List A debut happened on February 25, 2017, during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 444 runs across 7 matches at an average of 63.42.
In June 2019, playing for India A team against Sri Lanka A, Ruturaj knocked an unbeaten 187. He led Team Maharashtra in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, scoring 259 runs across 5 matches. He equaled Virat Kohli's record for the most centuries in a Vijay Hazare Trophy season in 2021-22.
CSK Acquires Ruturaj for IPL
Ruturaj debuted in international cricket on July 28, 2021, against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He was bought by CSK in the 2019 IPL auction, but his IPL debut came in 2020.
He earned the Orange Cap in IPL 2021 with 635 runs and was awarded the Emerging Player of the Year. In the 2022 IPL mega auction, CSK retained him with a sum of INR 6 crores.
Ruturaj's Value: Half of Dhoni's
Ruturaj, being the fourth captain for CSK, marks a significant change. Dhoni led the team in 212 matches, followed by Jadeja's 8 and Raina's 5. Ruturaj has played 52 IPL matches till now, for a franchise paying him INR 6 crores a season – half of Dhoni's fee of 12 crores.
