[WATCH] Ruturaj Gaikwad hits nets to prepare for Duleep Trophy 2025

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Indian opening batter and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, has started practicing in the nets for the upcoming 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy as the CSK franchise released a video of his net session. The right-handed batter will feature for the West Zone team. He was ruled out of the previous season of the IPL due to an injury.

Later, MS Dhoni led the charge in the rest of the event. Gaikwad was inconsistent with just 122 runs in five clashes at an average of 24.40 and two half-centuries, while under his leadership, they won only one of the five games of the season. He signed for Yorkshire in the County Championship 2025 but backed out at the last moment due to personal reasons.

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Along with Gaikwad, some of the notable international players to feature in the red-ball domestic tournament are Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shreyas Iyer, who are part of the same team. Shardul Thakur has been named as the leader of the side, despite his inexperience in this department in the first-class format for Mumbai.

Watch: Ruturaj Gaikwad prepares for upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025

The 28-year-old has smashed an overall 2632 runs in 65 innings of the first-class format at an average of 41.77 and a strike rate of nearly 60, with the help of 14 half-centuries and seven centuries at the best score of 195 runs. His last clash in the field came in the first week of April this year against the Punjab Kings.

In the video, released by the Super Kings, Gaikwad was seen to go through batting drills against various bowlers. It will be a vital tournament for the Maharashtra batter, who will look to get back in his old rhythm with the bat post-injury.

A few days ago, Ruturaj turned up in Chennai alongside Dhoni in an event where they, reportedly, discussed the planning for the franchise ahead of the mini auction of the league for the upcoming season. There are discussions of the franchise showing their interest in Sanju Samson while parting ways with the veteran spin bowling all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin.