Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Dasharath Gaikwad (born 31 January 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Maharashtra team in domestic cricket and for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He made his international debut for the India cricket team in July 2021 against Sri Lanka.

He was the captain of the India squad which won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games.

He was the leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL season.

He is captain of the Maharashtra team in T20 and List A cricket.

Ruturaj is from Pune, Maharashtra.

His father is Dasharath Gaikwad, who was a Defence Research Development Organisation's (DRDO) employee.

His mother Sawita Gaikwad is a teacher in a municipality school.

According to Gaikwad his parents never insisted him to study more and play less Cricket.

Gaikwad's native village is Pargaon Memane village in Saswad area of Pune district, Maharastra.

He did his primary schooling from St Joseph's Boys' High School, Pune in Khadki.

He studied in Lakashmibai Nadgude school in Pimple Nilakh, Pune.

He did college studies from Marathvada Mitra Mandal's Polytechnic.

Gaikwad at the age of 13 joined the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) Varroc Dilip Vengsarkar Academy' in Thergaon in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune.

In Cadence trophy of 2010, He scored 63* (71) against Mumbai's MIG Cricket club for Varroc Vengsarkar Academy, he got man of the match.

His academy beat MIG Cricket club by 7 wickets, Cadence Cricket ground.

At Maharashtra invitational tournament of 2015, he scored 306 runs in a match in partnership of 522 runs with his teammate Vinay.

He made his first-class debut for Maharashtra in the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy on 6 October 2016.

He was the third highest run getter in 2016–17 Vijay Hazare trophy.

In Indian domestic cricket structure he played for India A, India B, India Blue, Maharashtra and India U-23.

He made his Twenty20 debut for Maharashtra in the 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament on 2 February 2017.

He made his List A debut for Maharashtra in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 25 February 2017.

In this tournament he scored 444 runs along 63.42 average in 7 matches.

He scored 3 half centuries and one century.

In October 2018, Gaikwad was named in India B's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy.

In December 2018, he was named in India's team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

In the 2019 Ranji trophy season, he scored 108 (199) in first inning and 76 (170) in Pune in second inning, while opening for Maharashtra Cricket team versus Chhattisgarh.

He became man of the match in this match.

He scored four centuries in four matches in Mandke trophy of 2019.

In June 2019, he scored 187 not out for India A against Sri Lanka A.

In August 2019, he was named in the India Blue team's squad for the 2019–20 Duleep Trophy.

In October 2019, he was named in India B's squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy.

In the 2021 Mushtaq Ali trophy, Gaikwad captained Maharashtra and scored 259 runs in five matches at an average of 51.80, including three fifties at a strike rate of 150.71.

He finished as one of the top scorers in the tournament.

in the 2021–22 Vijay Hazare trophy he scored four hundreds and equalled Virat Kohli's record of scoring maximum hundreds in single Vijay Hazare tournament and scored over 600 runs in the tournament for Maharashtra.

In November 2022, during 2nd quarter-final match between Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh of 2022–23 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gaikwad became the first batter to hit seven sixes in an over (one off a no-ball) in all forms of cricket.

With the 108-run knock against Saurashtra ( In the Final of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022–23), Gaikwad now owns the record for the most centuries by any player in Vijay Hazare Trophy history (12).

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa and Gaikwad's current Maharashtra teammate Ankit Bawne jointly held the record previously (11 centuries each).

In 2023, he was hired by a Pune-based franchise for Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) in ₹14.8 crore (for 3 years).

The franchise later named as Puneri Bappa and they announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain for inaugural season.