Picture Credit: Twitter
India star player and skipper of the Pune-based franchise Puneri Bappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad grabbed all the headlines as he led his team in the first match of the Maharashtra Premier League 2023. Gaikwad, who recently got married to his long-time girlfriend Utkarsha Pawar shortly after the Indian Premier League 2023, was seen wearing her jersey number in the inaugural game of the MPL 2023. Notably, Utarksha, herself, is a cricketer and represents Maharashtra in domestic cricket.
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Ruturaj was a part of the winning team of the IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings, and needless to say, had a wonderful edition of the cash-rich league. Not only this, but the Pune-based cricketer was also one of the three players in Team India for the World Test Championship Final 2023, but was replaced by youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal after Gaikwad informed the cricketing board that he was set to get married on June 3-4. The game played on June 15, against Kedar Jadhav-led Kolhapur Tuskers was his first time after getting married, and the 25-year-old made it special by wearing his wife’s jersey number.
Gaikwad goes explosive against Kolhapur Tuskers
The 25-year-old cricketer was roped in by the Pune-based franchise in the MPL for INR 14.8 Crore. As his first game as the skipper of his team, Ruturaj went all fiery against his rivals with his bat and smashed 64 runs off 27 balls with a combination of five fours and five sixes. Gaikwad was awarded the Player of the Match for the same. With his 22-ball fifth and the combination of several wonderful knocks by the Pune players, the team registered a win by eight wickets.
Talking of the tournament, Maharashtra Premier League kicked off on June 15, where six teams are competing against each other to win the trophy. All the matches of the MPL 2023 will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground located on the outskirts of Pune. According to MCA, the Maharashtra T20 league will follow the IPL module and will be broadcasted on DD Sports and online platforms.
