3 reasons why Ruturaj Gaikwad is CSK's most important player for IPL 2024

Team India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad turned 27 on January 31, 2024, and was floored with birthday wishes from all over the cricketing world.

He is currently nursing a finger injury that he sustained during the tour of South Africa, but is expected to make his comeback in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Gaikwad's acquisition by CSK went under the radar as he was roped in for his base price of INR 10 lakh during the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. He has since gone on to become one of the most important players for the franchise.

His career with CSK was far from ideal as he was dismissed for a duck on his debut, and he struggled for runs across sporadic appearances during the 2020 season. He managed to be among the runs in the latter stages of the season, where CSK eventually failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Now three editions later, after an Orange Cap and an international call-up across all formats, he once again heads into an IPL season as one of the early favorites for the leading run-scorer.

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why Ruturaj Gaikwad is CSK's most important player for IPL 2024.

#1 Likely to be groomed for the captaincy role

While Gaikwad's role at the top of the order is likely to remain unchanged, he will also have an additional role this time in the form of leadership and responsibility.

Having gained some leadership experience by captaining India to the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games, Gaikwad could be entrusted with the captaincy of CSK in the near future.

Considering how CSK's previous attempts at changing the leadership structure backfired, MS Dhoni will be keen on grooming the candidate first, in what is expected to be his final season as a cricketer.

#2 Remains a mainstay at the top of the order

CSK have realized over the last couple of seasons that Gaikwad's success at the top of the order more or less guarantees their good fortunes. In the 2021 and 2023 seasons, where Gaikwad was among the top scorers, CSK went on to lift the IPL title. But in 2022, when the opener struggled, the franchise finished ninth, their worst-ever finish in the competition.

He will enter the upcoming season as a much more mature batter. He is an experienced campaigner now and is bound to play a huge role for the team.

Gaikwad and the rest of the top order will once again be entrusted to score the bulk of the runs with the middle order expected to come out all guns blazing.

#3 Comes into the tournament after a prolific year

Gaikwad had a significant 2023, scoring runs across all formats, including for the national side. The fact that he is in consideration for the 2024 T20 World Cup squad says a lot about his growth. The previous year also saw him score his maiden T20I hundred, which came against Australia in the home T20I series after the ODI World Cup.

He also enjoyed success at the domestic level, particularly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 244 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 174.28 and an average of 61.00.

Gaikwad has ramped up his strike rate in recent times to meet up with the demands of modern-day playing style, and it makes him a bigger threat. His playing style now augurs well for CSK, who took an aggressive approach en route to their fifth title in 2023.

His contributions at the top of the order and the chemistry he shares with Devon Conway as an opening pair, will all come into play if CSK wish to retain their IPL title.