3 best 90s by a CSK batter in the IPL ft. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Over the years, several batters have walked back to the dugout after missing out on a century by a very close margin. Something similar happened with Ruturaj Gaikwad during Chennai Super Kings' recently concluded game against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Of the numerous cricketers, there have been several CSK batters who were dismissed in the nervous 90s at the Indian Premier League (IPL). But some 90s are ranked much higher than hundreds, given the situation of the game and the importance of the knocks.

The Chennai-based franchise, throughout its existence in the cash-rich event, has been one of the most successful teams in the tournament’s history. They have clinched five titles, the joint-highest in IPL alongside Mumbai Indians, and a plethora of batters have contributed to the victories and successful campaigns.

In their IPL 2010 title-winning run, Matthew Hayden put up a show against Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) and racked up 93 runs in 43 deliveries to help CSK win that league-stage contest. Faf du Plessis, representing the Yellow Army in 2021, played some memorable knocks throughout the season.

He was in contention for the IPL Orange Cap and had almost got his hands on it before his fellow opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad overtook him in the race. That year, du Plessis was dismissed for 95*(60) in the league stage game against eventual finalists Kolkata Knight Riders.

Shane Watson and Michael Hussey, who have notched up their respective centuries representing CSK at one point in the IPL, have also faced disappointing outcomes while batting in 90s and aiming to cross the three-figure mark.

On that note, let’s look at three best 90s scores by a CSK batter in the IPL.

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#3 Murali Vijay – 95(52) vs RCB, IPL 2011

Making it to the final of the IPL 2011 to defend their crown, CSK faced off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru) at their home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium. MS Dhoni, the then CSK captain, won the toss and opted to bat first.

A rollicking opening partnership between Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay saw the hosts get to 159 runs in 14.4 overs before the former was dismissed on the next delivery. The duo set the foundation strong for the middle-order batters, but not much was possible after the first wicket.

Though the middle-order failed to get going, Vijay batted till the beginning of the 19th over to get his side to a massive total. The opening batter notched up 95 runs in 52 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and six maximums before falling five runs short of a century.

Murali Vijay was dismissed by Sreenath Aravind, and some contributions by the middle-order batters saw CSK reach 205/5 at the end of 20 overs. The bowlers, especially Ravichandran Ashwin, made sure that the opponents did not chase down the total as CSK held RCB at 147/8 to clinch their second consecutive IPL title. Vijay was adjudged the Player of the Match for his knock.

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#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad – 98(54) vs SRH, IPL 2024

The current CSK skipper has faced several exits while batting in the nervous nineties. He entered the field against SRH on the back of a well-made century against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which eventually went in vain.

But Gaikwad looked determined to take his side to a good total against Hyderabad after being put to bat first, something that the team wasn’t looking to do. The opening batter played a captain’s knock and kept the scoreboard ticking in the first innings.

Just two runs away from a ton, Gaikwad attempted a lofted shot but couldn't strike the connection between the bat and the ball as he found Nitish Kumar Reddy at long-on. Nonetheless, his knock of 98(54) helped CSK get to 212/3 in 20 overs.

The Men in Yellow were phenomenal with the ball in the second innings as Tushar Deshpande finished with a four-wicket haul. Equal contributions from others in the bowling unit secured a win for CSK, and the skipper was adjudged the Player of the Match for his heroics with the bat.

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#1 Suresh Raina – 98(55) v RR, IPL 2009

This one is arguably one of those knocks which deserved to be converted into a century but things didn’t pan out well. Even Suresh Raina thought that he had scored the ton when he was two runs shy of the 100-run mark, but fell agonisingly short and had to walk back on 98.

It was the IPL match of 2009 between CSK and the then-defending champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Centurion. After being put to bat first, CSK got off to the worst possible start as openers Parthiv Patel and Matthew Hayden were dismissed cheaply, courtesy of Yusuf Pathan.

Raina was a force to be reckoned with as he resurrected the innings and powered his side to 159/5 from what was 17/2 at a point in the game. The southpaw walked out to bat in the second over and stood strong till the 20th over before being dismissed, unfortunately.

Raina was the lone warrior in CSK’s innings as the then MS Dhoni-led side notched up 164/5 in 20 overs. Lakshmipathy Balaji’s brilliance saw CSK dismantle RR’s batting unit and bowl them out for a mere 126 runs in the second innings to clinch a 38-run victory.