Ruturaj Gaikwad, the new Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper, is arguably the best opener for the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions. The 27-year-old on Tuesday played a captain's knock against Lucknow Super Giants in their eighth match of the IPL 2024 season. (Match Blog | Scorecard)
Asked to bat first at the Chepauk, CSK lost promoted opener Ajinkya Rahane in the very first over to Matt Henry for an individual score of 1 off 3. Daryl Mitchell and Ravindra Jadeja also didn't last long, getting out for 11 off 10 and 16 off 19, respectively.
But Gaikwad kept the runs flowing from one. In fact, the right-handed batter had scored 85 off the team's total of 185 at the end of the 15th over. In the process, he also became the CSK opener with the most 50-plus scores -- 17, going past Faf du Plessis.
Michael Hussey, another legend, compiled 13 50-plus scores while opening for CSK. Devon Conway, Shane Watson and Murali Vijay have done it nine times each.
During the match, Gaikwad became the 21st player to aggregate 2,000-plus runs as an opener in the IPL, but first for CSK. He has also moved to second place in the season's top scorer's list, behind Virat Kohli (379 runs).
As things stood, Chennai Super Kings were fourth in the IPL 2024 points table with four wins and three defeats in seven outings. Rajasthan Royals, with seven wins in eight, continue to lead the charts, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders (five wins in seven) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (also five wins in seven). KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants were fifth with four wins in seven.
