3 IPL records you may not know are held by CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who replaced the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024, turns 28 on Friday, January 31.

He is one of the best white-ball opening batters in the country and has impressed with his tactical nous and leadership qualities. He is seen as a potential future leader for the national team too.

Gaikwad, in his young career, has played six ODIs and 23 T20Is for India, the last of which came against Zimbabwe in July 2024. In the IPL, he has played only for one franchise - CSK - and made 66 appearances for them.

He is the fourth-highest run-getter for CSK with 2,380 runs at an average of 41.75 and strike rate of 136.86. He has already scored two centuries and 18 half-centuries in his IPL career, which is nothing short of phenomenal.

In this listicle, we take a look at three IPL records held by Gaikwad that many are not aware of:

#3 Fastest Indian to score 2,000 runs

Gaikwad holds the enviable record of being the fastest Indian to get to 2,000 runs in the IPL. He achieved this feat during his 40-ball-69 against CSK's arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2024 edition of the tournament. Gaikwad also became the fourth batter from CSK to cross the landmark.

Gaikwad took just 57 innings to reach this landmark, and by the end of that game, had amassed 2,021 runs at an average of 39.62 and a strike rate of 134.91. Overall, with his 2,380 runs currently, he is the fourth-highest run-getter of all time for CSK, behind Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina.

#2 Most 50+ scores by a CSK opener

Gaikwad also holds the record of the most fifties as a CSK opener. He sits on top of this list with 20 half-centuries to his name, even though in the overall chart, Suresh Raina (38), MS Dhoni (23) and Faf du Plessis (21) come above him. Although Du Plessis used to open, not all of his 50s came at the top of the order.

The Maharashtra limited-overs captain would like nothing better than to keep getting runs come the next season of the IPL as well.

#1 First CSK captain to score a century

Gaikwad became the first CSK captain to score a century in the IPL when he crossed the landmark against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2024 edition of the tournament.

CSK batted first in the game and put up a gigantic total of 210-4 on the board, thanks largely to Gaikwad's unbeaten 108 off 60 balls. He received plenty of support from Shivam Dube, who scored 66 down the order. However, CSK lost that game after Marcus Stoinis powered LSG to a six-wicket victory via his unbeaten 63-ball 124.

Before he took charge, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja had been at the helm at CSK (the latter two only for a while) but neither had managed to score a ton as the skipper. Gaikwad's record, therefore, was seen as a welcome change and widely cheered by the supporters who had gathered at the Chepauk that night, although their team lost the game.