Ruturaj Gaikwad (born 31 January 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who captains the Maharashtra cricket team in the T20, List A format and the current captain of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Gaikwad's native village is Pargaon Memane in Saswad area of Pune district, Maharashtra.

[14][15][16] In Cadence trophy of 2010, He scored 63* (71) against Mumbai's MIG Cricket club for Varroc Vengsarkar Academy, he got man of the match.

[29] In the 2021 Mushtaq Ali trophy, Gaikwad captained Maharashtra and scored 259 runs in five matches at an average of 51.80, including three fifties at a strike rate of 150.71.

[31] In November 2022, during 2nd quarter-final match between Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh of 2022–23 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gaikwad became the first batter to hit seven sixes in an over (one off a no-ball) in all forms of cricket.

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa and Gaikwad's current Maharashtra teammate Ankit Bawne jointly held the record previously (11 centuries each).

The franchise later named as Puneri Bappa announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain for inaugural season.

[38] In January 2022, Gaikwad was again named in India's ODI squad, this time for their home series against the West Indies.

[43] In June 2023, Gaikwad was named in India's Test and ODI squads for their series against West Indies.

[44] In July 2023, Gaikwad was named as India's vice-captain for the series against Ireland under a returning Jasprit Bumrah.

In December 2018, Gaikwad was bought by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League.

[56] After his good performances in the 2021 season, Gaikwad was retained by Chennai Super Kings for ₹6 crores ahead of the 2022 IPL auction.

This decision followed the resignation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the captaincy role, a position he held for a remarkable 14 seasons.

Dhoni's decision to step down occurred on the eve of the 17th IPL season, marking a significant transition in leadership for the franchise.

Gaikwad's appointment as captain positioned him as the fourth individual to assume this prestigious role for the Chennai Super Kings.