Gujarat Titans Defeat Chennai Super Kings in IPL Opener

In the opening match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Gujarat Titans defeated the Chennai Super Kings by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match was an exciting encounter, with both teams putting up a strong fight.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Scintillating Knock

Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first. CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad played an exceptional inning, scoring 92 runs off just 50 balls. He smashed nine sixes and four fours to help his team post a competitive total of 178/7 in their 20 overs.

For the Titans, spinner Rashid Khan (2/26) and pacers Mohammed Shami (2/29) and Alzarri Joseph (2/33) picked up two wickets each, keeping the CSK batsmen in check for most parts of the innings. However, Gaikwad’s brilliant innings ensured that Chennai placed a competitive total on the board.

Gujarat Titans’ Chase

In response to Chennai’s total, Gujarat Titans got off to a blazing start, racing away to 65/1 at the end of the powerplay. Opener Wriddhiman Saha hit a six and a four off Tushar Deshpande’s first over, but he perished for 25 off 16, miscuing a shot to deep third man.

Shubman Gill, however, continued his impressive form and reached yet another half-century. He lifted Deshpande for a six over wide mid-on and rotated the strike well, anchoring Gujarat’s chase. Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who came in as the Impact Player for the injured Kane Williamson, added 53 for the second wicket before the latter fell for 22 off 17. He nicked a short delivery from Rajvardhan Hangargekar to MS Dhoni. In the very next over, though, Gill struck Ravindra Jadeja for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries and soon reached his half-century.

Jadeja kept Chennai in the hunt, cleaning up Hardik Pandya (8) as the GT skipper missed his sweep. Gill’s fine knock ended when he toe-ended a pull-off Deshpande to deep midwicket. Vijay Shankar contributed a handy 27 off 21 before Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia provided the final flourish. Rashid hit six and four off consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over bowled by Deepak Chahar, while Tewatia smacked Deshpande for six and four off consecutive deliveries to take Gujarat past the finish line in 19.2 overs.

Standout Performances

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s innings of 92 runs off 50 balls were undoubtedly the standout performance of the match. His knock was filled with clean hitting and gave Chennai a fighting chance in the match. For Gujarat, Shubman Gill played yet another impactful knock, scoring 63 runs off 36 balls to set up Gujarat’s chase. Rashid Khan was named the Player of the Match for his all-around brilliance, picking up two wickets with the ball and playing a sizzling cameo with the bat. Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph also picked up two wickets each for Gujarat Titans.

Player of the Match

Rashid Khan was named the Player of the Match for his all-around performance. His brilliant performance with both bat and ball helped Gujarat Titans secure a victory in the IPL opener.

Gujarat Titans Equal Rajasthan Royals’ Record by Winning Three Matches in a Row Against CSK

The Gujarat Titans defeated the Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of IPL 2023, equalling the record set by the Rajasthan Royals as the only teams to win the first three matches against CSK in IPL history. Despite more than 10 teams playing matches against CSK over the years, only the Royals and now the Titans have managed to win the first three games in a row. The Royals faced CSK three times, including the final, in the 2008 edition of the cash-rich league and won all the matches. Similarly, GT faced CSK twice last year and won both matches comfortably, and this year they completed the hat-trick of wins over Chennai by winning the opening match. CSK will have a chance to redeem themselves when they face the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants on Monday (April 3) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was an exciting match with excellent performances from both teams. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s brilliant knock and Rashid Khan’s all-around performance were the highlights of the match. The Gujarat Titans will be pleased with their performance, while the Chennai Super Kings will look to bounce back in their next match.