Chennai Super Kings are the new titans of IPL
- 30 May 2023
Gulf Today Report
Riding on a collective batting effort, Chennai Super Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the final of the Indian Premier League to lift the trophy for the fifth time on Monday.
In a run-halted match, Chennai chased down a revised target of 171, for the loss of 5 wickets off the last ball.
Chennai Super Kings were handed a revised target of 171 in 15 overs against holders Gujarat Titans in the IPL final on Monday after a long delay due to rain.
Rain forced players off the ground in Ahmedabad when Chennai were four without loss after three balls of their chase on a reserve day following a washout on Sunday.
The downpour lasted for about 15 minutes but covers came off from one of the pitches which got damp and the groundstaff worked for over two hours to get the field ready for play.
Earlier, Sai Sudharsan smashed 96 as Gujarat reached 214-4 -- the highest ever total in an IPL final.
The left-handed Sudharsan, an uncapped Indian batsman, took apart the bowling in his 47-ball knock that included an attacking stand of 81 with skipper Hardik Pandya.
The 41-year-old Dhoni, playing his 250th IPL match, won the toss to a loud roar from the crowd but it was the in-form Shubman Gill who raised the noise with his 20-ball 39.
Gill, fresh from his third century this season in the last playoff and who leads the batting chart with 890 runs, was dropped on three when Deepak Chahar spilled an easy catch off fast bowler Tushar Deshpande.
The opener smashed Deshpande for three straight boundaries in the next over and kept up the attack with regular hits to the fence before Dhoni's lightning quick glovework sent back the batsman, stumped off Ravindra Jadeja.
Fellow opener Wriddhiman Saha made 54 and put on 64 runs with Sudharsan, who took charge after his partner's departure.
He raised his fifty in 33 balls and then exploded, hitting Deshpande for a six and four boundaries in a 20-run over. Pandya joined the blitz in his unbeaten 12-ball 21.
Slingshot-action Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana denied Sudharsan, who hit seven sixes, his hundred but Gujarat, who won the title in their maiden season last year, put up a challenging total.
