The IPL final between CSK and KKR is underway and the team in yellow is batting first after losing the toss.

As I write this, they have scored 117 runs in 13 overs at the rounded-off run rate of 9. This is thanks to the openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis. While Plessis is still at the crease, Gaikwad departed after scoring 32 runs in 27 balls.

In the process, he overtook KL Rahul to become the orange-cap holder, the youngest player at that. While it’s too early to tell what the fate of the match will be, Gaikwad is already being praised for his sustained performance, and here are some of the tweets:

At the start of the match, he was just 24 runs behind KL Rahul and surpassed him with ease. Gaikwad ends his campaign with 635 runs, which is a commendable feat. 

He also set some prolific records with opening partner Faf du Plessis, which only makes things better for Chennai Super Kings.

This is the ninth time CSK is entering the IPL final, and if it wins, it would be the 4th instance of the men in yellow lifting the trophy. 

The campaign is also essential because this could be MS Dhoni’s last outing as the CSK captain. Also because he led the team to the final during a time when not many were expecting that to happen.

But, coming back to Ruturaj, here is an interesting fact. There’s only one instance of a player winning the orange cap and the trophy. This happened in 2014 when Robin Uthappa scored the most number of runs in that season of the IPL and KKR won the tournament.

Whether Ruturaj becomes the second batsman to achieve that feat will be clear in a few hours from now, but nothing can take away from the fact that he has had an amazing season with the bat.