Who is Utkarsha Pawar, girlfriend of CSK player Ruturaj Gaikwad?

Wedding bells are ringing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 26-year-old right handed batter is all set to tie the knot with his girlfriend Utkarsha Amar Pawar, who also happens to be a cricketer.

• Gaikwad stormed into the limelight in 2021 after a splendid display with the bat, and was one of the key players behind CSK’s IPL trophy that year. Gaikwad had a good show with the bat in this season of IPL too, where he averaged 42.14 runs per match scoring 590 runs in 16 matches at a strike-rate of 147.50. 

Gaikwad’s girlfriend Utkarsha Amar Pawar was present at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad when CSK lifted the IPL 2023 trophy on May 29, by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT). Though Gaikwad earlier announced that his wedding was to happen in June, little was known about his girlfriend.

Who is Utkarsha Pawar? 

Utkarsha Pawar hails from Pune and plays domestic cricket for Maharashtra. She bats right-handed and also bowls right-arm medium fast.

• Born on October 13, 1998, Utkarsha was active in sports since childhood.
• She started playing cricket at the age of 11.
• She is also a student of the Institute of Nutrition and Fitness Sciences (INFS), Pune. 

Not much is known about Utkarsha since Gaikwad has kept his relationship under the wraps so far.

• It was only on May 29 when CSK lifted the trophy that Utkarsha was seen alongside Ruturaj.
• She was seen holding the trophy with Gaikwad and in one of her pictures on social media, she and Gaikwad are also seen sitting with CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Ruturaj and Utkarsha's wedding is expected to take place on June 3 this year. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal as a replacement for Gaikwad: Since Gaikwad will be on leave for his wedding, BCCI had named Yashasvi Jaiswal as his replacement for the WTC final against Australia, which starts on June 7 at The Oval in Australia.