Ruturaj Gaikwad is a “superstar” already for Stephen Fleming and his prolific opening partnership with Faf du Plessis is a major reason behind Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning a fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) title, head coach Stephen Fleming said after the final on Friday at the Dubai International Stadium.

Gaikwad, 24, became the youngest player to win the Orange cap, finishing the season with 635 runs. Du Plessis finished two runs short of Gaikwad after being dismissed on 86 off 59 balls in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.

“He is an absolute superstar already in my eyes,” said Fleming in the post-match press conference. Gaikwad was unable to play a major role last season, in which CSK failed to make it past the league stage for the first time in the history of the tournament, after he tested positive for Covid-19. However, in the six matches that he managed to play, Gaikwad smashed 204 runs.

“Last year when we introduced him people were sort of critical but we had such high expectations from him. What we weren’t sure of was the effect Covid would have and we really felt for him last year. Delighted with the way he ended last season,” said Fleming.

“He is a wonderful kid, an absolute superstar. The way he mastered opening the batting and him and Faf scoring that many reasons, it’s one of the reasons we won the IPL. I coudn’t be more happy for him. He shows maturity beyond his years,” he said.