On Monday, April 3, the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will play host to the Lucknow Super Giants in match no. 6 of the ongoing IPL 2023, marking their first home game in four years. The Super Kings won’t be playing in Chepauk again until 2019, so it will be a homecoming for them. On March 31, when playing on the Gujarat Titans’ home field at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Chennai lost their season opener by a score of five wickets.
There was a “sea of yellow” at the venue that day, giving the MS Dhoni-led squad a lot of support, but they were unable to cross the finish line. Ruturaj Gaikwad opened for the squad against the Titans, scoring a fantastic half-century (92 off 50) and narrowly missing a ton. His innings had a brilliant strike rate of 184 and featured four fours and nine sixes. Currently, CSK are ranked sixth in the IPL 2023 points standings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad stated his feelings about the probable possibility to play at the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time in CSK’s colors as well as his enthusiasm for CSK’s return to their home field.
‘I was quite excited when it was announced that it would be a home-away format and we would play at the renovated Chepauk stadium,’ said Ruturaj Gaikwad at the pre-match press conference, according to Chennai Super Kings. ‘Some players have played here before, and some, like me, are playing for the first time. Hopefully, we will have a full house.
Ruturaj Gaikwad also mentioned how important it is for a team to get off to a good start and that as the opener, he is responsible for carrying out that duty.
“Yeah, it does, but the opening batter always has the duty to offer a strong start. You might have six or 11 hitters, but if you get a good start, converting those starts by batting till the 10, 15, or 18th over is vital. That is the role of the top three in the T20 format.”
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