Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced off in the highly-anticipated Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Titans, who finished at the top of the ladder with 10 wins and just four losses in their 14 league games, were looking to continue their remarkable form. Meanwhile, the Super Kings entered this game on the back of a victory against Delhi Capitals, which secured their place in the playoffs.
In GT’s last league match, they faced off against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a must-win encounter. RCB’s captain Virat Kohli continued his fine form from the previous match and hit a masterful century to propel his team to 197/5 in the first innings. However, Gill’s fantastic display, which included an unbeaten 104 off just 52 balls, powered the Titans to a six-wicket victory.
CSK’s last league match was against Delhi Capitals, which they won by a whopping 77 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway were the standout performers, smashing 79 and 87 runs respectively to set up a massive total of 223/3. Delhi struggled in their run-chase and were eventually restricted to 146/9.
With both teams entering this game on the back of victories, the fans were eagerly anticipating a thrilling encounter. The Titans won the toss and elected to field first. CSK’s openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad got off to a solid start, putting on 56 runs in just 6.1 overs. However, du Plessis was dismissed by Gujarat’s star all-rounder Krunal Pandya for 23 runs.
Suresh Raina, who came in at number three, didn’t last long as he was caught by Gill off the bowling of Jadeja for just five runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his impressive run of form and smashed 78 runs off 46 balls before he was dismissed by Shanaka in the 16th over.
Moeen Ali played a crucial knock of 43 runs off just 22 balls to help CSK reach a competitive total of 186/7 in their 20 overs. For Gujarat, Krunal Pandya was the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 2/19 in his four overs.
In response, the Titans got off to a disappointing start, losing both their openers – Wriddhiman Saha and Ruturaj Gaikwad – for just 24 runs on the board. However, Gill, who was promoted up the order to three, played a gem of a knock and smashed 74 runs off just 46 balls.
He was well supported by Shubman Gill, who played a composed innings of 37 runs off 35 balls. However, CSK’s bowlers fought back and took regular wickets, which prevented the Titans from getting over the line. In the end, Gujarat fell short by 12 runs, with CSK’s Deepak Chahar finishing with figures of 3/26 in his four overs.
With this victory, CSK have secured their place in the IPL 2023 final, while Gujarat will have to win their next match to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive. The fans will be eagerly looking forward to another thrilling encounter from these two teams in the coming days.
