IPL 2023 CSK vs GT: Chennai Super Kings Trounce Table Toppers Gujarat Titans To Book The Ticket Of Final. Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) were up against four-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023. Titans topped the IPL 2023 points table with 20 points, whereas CSK followed them with 17 points. Thus, the top two teams of IPL 2023 were ready to battle it out for the seat in the final. Hardik Pandya won the toss and put opponents to bat first at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. CSK didn’t make any changes in their playing eleven from the previous match against Delhi Capitals, whereas Titans replaced pacer Yash Dayal with Darshan Nalkande, who didn’t play any game in IPL 2023 so far.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Cracked A Quickfire Fifty
Mohammed Shami and Darshan Nalkande took the new ball for the Titans. However, they couldn’t trouble CSK’s prolific opening pair Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, especially Gaikwad, who played brilliantly in the powerplay to put opponent bowlers on the back foot. He hammered one six and one four to Nalkande in the latter’s first over in the IPL 2023.
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CSK openers amassed 49 runs in the power play. Gaikwad continue to crack boundaries at will and reached his fifty off just 36 balls. However, after reaching the milestone, Gaikwad got caught by David Miller offs miscued pull by the batsman and pacer Mohit Sharma had his first scalp. Gaikwad made 60 off 44 balls.
Ravindra Jadeja Helped His Side To Put 172 On Board
Next batsman Shivam Dube went for a whack, only to be bowled by spinner Noor Ahmad on just one. CSK also lost Conway and Ajinkya Rahane in the next few overs. However, hard-hitting in the death overs by Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja ensured that CSK put 172 on the board in 20 overs.
Gujarat Titans Lost Early Wickets
While chasing a total of 173 runs, Gujarat Titans openers kicked off the innings with some cracking boundaries. However, swinger Deepak Chahar gave the first blow to the Titans by removing Wriddhiman Saha, the batsman could make only 12 runs off 11 balls.
Captain Hardik Pandya came to bat at three for the Titans, however, he couldn’t add many runs to the scorecard. Spinner Maheesh Theekshana bagged his wicket off just eight.
Ravindra Jadeja Broke Back Of The Titans With The Ball
Two-down batsman Dasun Shanaka tried to stitch a partnership with opener Shubman Gill, but left-arm spinner Jadeja took his wicket for 17. Jadeja also sent David Miller back to the hut and reduced the Titans to four down.
Jadeja finished his exceptional spell with two wickets while conceding only 18 runs in four overs. Chahar returned for his second spell and bagged the all-important wicket of Gill, who made 42 runs off 38 balls. Gill smashed four boundaries and one six in his valiant knock.
Rashid Khan Smashed A Blistering Knock
The Titans continued to lose wickets in the next few overs. All-rounder Rashid Khan cracked a few big strokes in the death overs. He smoked two huge sixes and one four in one over off pacer Tushar Deshpande to collect whooping 19 runs. However, in the next over Pathirana took wickets, Vijay Shankar and Nalkande on back-to-back deliveries to put Titans under pressure.
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At last, Rashid was dismissed by Deshpande in the penultimate over, after making 30 runs off just 16 balls. This wicket extinguished all hopes of Titans’ fans to win this game and CSK won the game by 15 runs.
This clinical win has powered CSK to the IPL 2023 final. Thus, CSk have qualified for the IPL final record ten times in 16 editions of the tournament. Now CSK will face the winner of Qualifier 2 to win the IPL silverware record fifth time.
Brief Scorecard: CSK 172/7 (20 overs) (Gaikwad 60, Conway 40, Shami 2/28) beat GT 157/10 (20 overs) (Gill 42, Jadeja 2/18, Theekshana 2/28) by 15 runs.
CSK Playing XI: MS Dhoni (wk/c), Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube
GT Playing XI: Hardik Pandya (c), Darshan Nalkande, Mohit Sharma, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Dasun Shanaka, David Miller,
