Gujarat Titans started their title defence with a crucial 5-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of Indian Premier League 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Shubman Gill scored a class half-century to set up the foundation of a successful chase while Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan played crucial cameos in the slog overs to take the title holders over the line. Tewatia hit the winning runs with four balls to spare as Gujarat Titans claimed two crucial points.
The new season of IPL started with a bang as Ruturaj Gaikwad set the stage on fire with his magnificent 92-run knock to help CSK post a formidable 178/7 in 20 overs. However, Gaikwad’s knock went in vain as the Chennai bowlers didn’t complement his knock and were below par on the big occasion. Gujarat have now extended their winning streak over CSK to 3 matches.
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Chasing the 179-run target, Gujarat started on a high as Wriddhiman Saha smashed a couple of sixes to put pressure on Chennai. However, he failed to convert it into a big score and was dismissed for 25 off 16 balls. Sai Sudharshan came out to bat at number 3 as he replaced injured Kane Williamson as the Impact Player for the Titans. The southpaw also failed to convert a solid start into something big and was dismissed for 22.
While Gill stood strong and found boundaries at regular intervals to keep the scoreboard moving at a healthy rate. He scored 63 runs off 36 balls which was laced with 6 fours and three sixes. The talented opener was dismissed by the first-ever Impact Player in IPL history – Tushar Deshpande. Gill went for a big shot but mistimed and got caught by Gaikwad.
Skipper Hardik Pandya also struggled to get going and was castled for 8 by his Indian teammate Ravindra Jadeja.
23 runs were required from the last two overs as Deepak Chahar bowled the penultimate one and 15 runs came off it. Rashid Khan, who spun his magic with the ball, showed his batting prowess by smashing a six and a four.
IPL 2023 Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings Highlights
Impact Player Deshpande bowled the final over with 8 runs to defend. He started with a wide, while Tewatia connected a six on the first legal delivery to make it a cakewalk and then a straight drive on the second ball sealed the deal for the Titans.
Debutant Rajvardhan Hangargekar was the positive for Chennai Super Kings as he claimed three wickets.
Earlier, Gaikwad was all class in his 92 off 50 balls as Chennai Super Kings posted a challenging 178 for seven. He smacked the Titans’ bowlers all around the park and dealt in sixes more than fours. He smacked 9 maximums during his magnificent knock.
Apart from Gaikwad, the only other batter who put the Titans under pressure was Moeen Ali who came up with a 17-ball 23. Ali’s flat six off Mohammad Shami on a free-hit ball was the highlight of his cameo. Legendary MS Dhoni also turned back the clock and hit a monstrous six over deep square leg to entertain the fans at Narendra Modi Stadium.
For the Titans, Rashid (2/26) and pacers Mohammed Shami (2/29) and Alzarri Joseph (2/33) picked two wickets each.
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