IPL 2020: Netizens opine Chennai would qualify had Ruturaj Gaikwad been brought in early

Facing an unprecedented situation in the history of IPL, MS Dhoni's Chennai find themselves at the bottom of the points table having lost 8 matches out of the 13 played so far. While the Men in Yellow have managed to qualify for playoffs 10 times, this season, they have failed to replicate their success. The squad was first struck by a COVID crisis and then suffered a severe blow as veterans Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. 

Chennai's core strength seemed missing as the veterans failed to perform while the young pool lacked chances. However, the Men in Yellow have registered top-notch 'Chennai-like' performances in the last three games, when they have got nothing but pride to play for. At the centre of these dominating victories has been Ruturaj Gaikwad, a 23-year-old youngster, who has notched up back-to-back victories.

Gaikwad was one of the players who had been infected with COVID just before the start of the IPL 2020 and had to face extended quarantine. He was brought into the squad during a mid-way fixture, only to be dropped in the next game after a poor outing. 

However, in the last three games, Gaikwad has made the most of the opportunity, smashing three consecutive 50s. Against Bangalore, Gaikwad played an unbeaten inning of 65 runs while against Kolkata he scored 72 runs. In the last game of the season for Chennai, Gaikwad played an unbeaten inning of 62 runs. After the knock against Punjab, Gaikwad sent Twitter into a frenzy as netizens flooded the micro-blogging site with praise for the youngster. Several users opined that Chennai would have qualified playoffs had Gaikwad been included in the playing XI during the early days of the tournament. 

Here's how netizens reacted

Chennai end the season with a win

Despite a terrible season, Chennai got back to winning ways in the last three games as they ended their campaign on a winning note. MS Dhoni & Co. put on a clinical performance to defeat Punjab by 9 wickets on Sunday, ending KL Rahul's hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.