Chennai Super Kings opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis had a terrific campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. In the finale against Kolkata Knight Riders, which CSK won by 27 runs, the pair provided their side with a solid start, stitching 61 runs for the opening wicket.
While Gaikwad was dismissed on 32 off 27 balls, his efforts saw him finish as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. His partner Du Plessis, on the other hand, finished the contest on 86 off 59 deliveries after he was dismissed in the final delivery of the CSK innings.
The superb show by the CSK pair also saw them join an elite list featuring Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers. Both the batters went past the 600-run mark, making them the third pair to complete the milestone from the same team.
Two players scoring 600+ runs in a season for a team:
Chris Gayle (708) & Virat Kohli (634) RCB, 2013
Virat Kohli (973) & AB de Villiers (687) RCB, 2016
Ruturaj Gaikwad (635) & Faf du Plessis (633) CSK, 2021
Apart from this the pair combined to add 756 runs for their side in IPL 2021, which is the third highest by a pair in a single edition.
