The final in Ahmedabad was cut short by rain, but Ravindra Jadeja still managed to win with a six and a four off the final two balls.
The IPL final, which was neither T20 nor T10 and was instead reduced to a 15-over chase because of late Monday evening thunderstorms, saw Chennai Super Kings win their fifth championship by five wickets in a thrilling last-ball match that finished at 1.30 am on Tuesday in front of a roaring Ahmedabad crowd. Using the final two balls, Ravindra Jadeja scored the necessary 10 runs.
All of the activity in the powerplay was hectic due to the fewer overs, bowlers having one fewer over to bowl, and hitters needing to get going more quickly. Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami did not find much swing, and Hardik Pandya did not find any turn. When facing the leg-spinner, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad sped to 52/0 during the 4-over powerplay. Their strong start reduced CSK’s aim to 119 in 11 overs, or 11 runs per over with all of the wickets still in tact. a typical chase in a 20-over game. GT put up a valiant fight to win the contest.
SUDHARSAN IS A GEM.
The key to Gujarat Titans’ success, like Chennai Super Kings’, has been their consistency. However, they have been experimenting with the No. 3 hitting position. Sudharsan Sai. The left-hander, who is 21 years old, displayed early promise but has only played in half of GT’s games. The Tamil Nadu batsman made a statement with a stunning 96 (47b, 8×4, 6×6) in the match that mattered the most.
A defence of himself to his own squad and to rival CSK, the team from his hometown, who once overlooked the TNPL find after having him in their youth team.
Sudharsan comes from a sporty family; his mother Usha played volleyball and his father R Bharadwaj was a former sprinter for India. Before the IPL 2022 season, GT selected him for his base salary of 20 lakh.
After Shubman Gill was dismissed in the eighth over, Sudharsan came out to bat and immediately displayed poise. In the 15th over, he launched Maheesh Theekshana for two massive sixes, one off a full toss and the other down cow corner. The left-hander reached his 50 in 33 balls in the following over.
CSK’s powerplay bowling prior to Sudharsan’s entry into the crease had been generally unimpressive. It was regularly splashed down leg or pitched overly full by the bowlers. The brakes were applied by to Dhoni’s quick catch that sent Shubman Gill (39) off of Ravindra Jadeja. Midway through an inning, GT had a score of 86/1. However, the pitch was too flat for CSK’s spinners to exert the kind of dominance they are accustomed to in the middle overs. The spin team of Theekshana and Jadeja let up 74 runs in 8 overs combined.
BIG GOES AT THE DEATH
Even though it seems like a lifetime ago, Sudharsan managed to slow Anrich Nortje’s pace at the start of the IPL 2023 on a difficult Ferozeshah Kotla track. He had hauled out the ramp and scoop in his undefeated 62 against Nortje’s rapid tempo.
However, as the death overs drew near in the most recent game against the Mumbai Indians, Sudharsan slowed down. He was benched in favour of the dashing Rashid Khan. Here, too, he was able to fix that. After making space, he tried to reverse scoop Tushar Deshpande over short fineleg in the 17th over. Even though the six came off a leading edge, his intention was very evident. After coming up with a creative way to toy with Deshpande’s brain, the pacer started to bowl wider.
Then came three consecutive borders. Deshpande was able to discover three gaps—two on either side of mid-off and one through covers—the further he went. The 20-run over gave GT’s death overs onslaught the vital energy. Deshpande’s day wasn’t good, and he ended up giving up another 18 runs in his subsequent over, which Pandya took full advantage of.
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In the final over, Sudharsan proceeded to batter the opposition. Sudharsan was fully prepared for Pathirana, one of the competition’s top death over bowlers. He was positioned far into the crease. Two of his yorkers were missed by the Malinga clone, who was picked off for two sixes. In the third ball, Pathirana discovered the length of his yorker. Sudharsan’s innings ended as a result. Despite finishing four short of a hundred, his commander gave him the thumbs up. When the pair exchanged blows, Sudharsan was left to absorb the cheers of the audience; 71 runs came in the final five overs to bring GT to 214.
