Who is Ruturaj Gaikwad's fiancée, Utkarsha Pawar?
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad is fresh off a title-winning campaign in IPL 2023 and is set to get married to his fiance Utkarsha Pawar on June 3.
Born on October 13, 1998, Utkarsha also played cricket for Maharashtra in the domestic circuit.
An all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm-medium-fast, Utkarsha has reportedly been playing cricket since the age of 11.
The 24-year-old from Pune, however, last played a game more than a year ago, in November, 2021 against Punjab in a senior Women's ODI Trophy game.
She is pursuing her education currently at the Institute of Nutrition and Fitness Sciences (INFS) in Pune.
Utkarsha was at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to watch the IPL 2023 final between the Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad was called-up to the Indian squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia as a standby player.
However, the 26-year-old pulled out due to his marriage and has been replaced with Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ruturaj made his India debut in July, 2021 in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and has since played nine T20Is and an ODI.
"Would like to dedicate the win to Rayudu" - Ruturaj Gaikwad post CSK winning IPL 2023 Final
Ruturaj Gaikwad spoke about the teamwork that led to CSK winning a fifth IPL title after they defeated the Gujarat Titans in the grand finale in Ahmedabad on May 29.
The opening batter also dedicated the victory to veteran batter Ambati Rayudu, who had announced his retirement from the IPL before the final.
After the final, Ruturaj said:
"This one was more special because how last year went for us. To come back in style, to win games at Chepauk and to win away games. The way everyone contributed through the season. Jinks, Conway.. Rayudu wasn't getting balls. Would like to dedicate the win to Rayudu. Even today we were talking about having a good start. With wickets in hand, we thought we'll easily chase down 12-13 an over in the end."
Chasing a stiff target of 171 in 15 overs, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway got the team off to a sensational start, adding 74 for the opening wicket in only 39 deliveries.
Following Ruturaj's dismissal, CSK had several middle-order contributions, resulting in a thrilling last-ball victory at the end.
The talented youngster from Maharashtra had another incredible season, scoring 590 runs at an average of 42.14 and a strike rate of 147.50.
Ruturaj was also instrumental in CSK's title in 2021 when he won the Orange Cap by scoring 635 runs at an average of 45.35 and a strike rate of 136.26.