Chennai Super Kings won the Indian Premier League IPL 2023 beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets on the reserved day of the IPL final which otherwise would have gotten over yesterday had it not rained.
After a magical last over by Mohit Sharma of Gujarat Titans which had four yorkers, it was Ravindra Jadeja who prevailed at the end when he hit 10 runs in the last two balls, and 10 was what was required. Jadeja made a crucial 15 runs of six balls.
Earlier, Gujarat Titans made 214 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs setting a target of 215 runs for the Chennai Super Kings. However, in a rain truncated match the CSK were asked to chase 171 in 15 overs.
CSK made 72 runs in the first six overs for the loss of no wicket. For CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad was the first walk back to the pavilion at his personal score of 26 in 16 balls. And CSK was 74. Four runs later, Devon Conway too walked back.
It was Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube who then stablised the CSK innings with Rahane upping the ante hitting two sixes in the eighth over and taking the score of CSK to 94 for two.
Shivam Dube’s two sixes in the 17th over brought Super Kings closer to the target with 38 needed of the last 18 balls when it seemed GT would take the game away. In the first ball of the 18th over, Ambati Rayudu hit a six followed by a four in the second ball. The next ball again he hit over the boundary for a six before he got out in the next ball. And in came Mahendra Singh Dhoni when 14 balls were left and 22 runs were needed to win. But he was out on the very first ball to Mohit Sharma.
During GT’s innings, the first to depart to the pavilion was the in-form man Shubman Gill. He made 39 and the score of Gujarat Titans was 67 for one. The second to depart was Wriddhiman Saha but not before he had made 54 of 38 balls.
After Saha, it was Sai Sudarshan all the way who hammered the CSK bowlers including Mathesha Pathirana who has been the revelation of this IPL due to his awkward bowling action. Sudarshan made 96 runs of 47 balls which had a garland of many sixes. And GT made 214 but wasn’t enough for them to win the finals.